Comfort for Troubled Hearts

Leave Me Alone; I Can't Cope

by
John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved

(A copy of this message on cassette tape may be obtained by calling 1-800-55-GRACE)
Philippians 4:1-9        Tape GC 1216

Introduction

A. The Inability to Cope with Life

In a book entitled Mastery, Methodist missionary E. Stanley Jones wrote, "The art of living is the least learned of all arts. Man has learned the art of existing, of getting by somehow with the demands of life, of escaping into half answers; but he knows little about the art of living ... with all its demands" (Nashville: Abingdon], p. v).

Many people cannot cope with life. Even Christians sometimes have a hard time with living a fulfilled, happy life--a life where from morning to night everything is great. How can we have that kind of life? A look at Philippians 4 will tell us the answer.

B. The Illustration for Coping with Life

In this lesson, we're going to study Paul's example of how to cope with life. He was a man like we are, and his example will help us. He wasn't divine; he was human. Christ was a perfect example who provided us victory in coping with life, but we need to study the life of a sinner who attained victory after failing. Christ is our Savior, and Paul is our encourager. He failed in life at times, but kept getting back up and moving on.

1. Paul's qualification to be an illustration

Philippians 4:12-13 capsulizes why Paul is a good example for us to learn from. There Paul wrote, "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound; everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me." If you're looking for someone who experienced much in life, Look at Paul. He knew what it was like to have everything going great all the way to having the worst of problems. He knew how to win and how to lose; he knew what it was like to be well and deathly sick. He had experienced both freedom and chains. Paul had been through almost every circumstance life could give, and he learned how to handle each one. He had been through the worst, the best, and everything in the middle.

In Philippians 4:9, Paul said, "Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do." He was basically saying, "I've been through the gamut of human experience. Look at how I handled my circumstances and what I've taught you, and follow my example."

2. Our qualification to be an illustration

Paul must have had a lot of confidence to ask people to follow him. Yet every one of us should be able to say that to others. Mothers should be able to say to their daughters, "See the way I live? That's the way you ought to live." Fathers should be able to say that to their sons. Paul ended Philippians 4:9 by telling the Philippians that if they followed his example, the God of peace would be with them.

As a pastor, I should be able to say to you, "Do the things you've learned from me, and seen in my life. If you do, God will bless you." All Christians should be able to say others can follow their example. If you can't say that it's not because you're unable to live up to God's standard. Every believer has the potential to be what God wants him to be.

So, Paul tells us in Philippians 4 that if we want to learn how to handle varying circumstances in life, we can look to his example. We can watch how he lived, and live the same way. In this lesson, we'll look at the principles Paul gave us.

Why Should We Live as Paul Suggests?

Some people will answer it's because that's the way to get blessed. Others say it's because we will be good witnesses, because we will have security about our salvation, or because we will receive a reward when the Lord comes. Those are good answers, but the ultimate reason you should live the godly example portrayed in Philippians 4 is that by doing so, you will glorify God. In Titus 2:10, Paul said we are to "adorn the doctrine of God." God is on trial in the world, and we should live in a way that manifests the truth about Him. When Christians live fulfilled, positive, meaningful lives, that says something about the God who is running their lives. We ought to live by Paul's example for God's sake.

Lesson

I. THE PRINCIPLES (vv. 1-7)

A. Have an Adequate Stand (v. 1b)

"Therefore, my brethren ... stand fast in the Lord."

The word "therefore" refers to whatever it was Paul previously talked about. Prior to Philippians 4:1, Paul talked about the Lord Christ and the salvation we have in Him. He talked about the humiliation, exaltation, power, excellency, and resurrection of Christ. He said that Christ is going to change us to become like Him. And because of who Christ is, we are to stand fast in Him. We don't need to be disturbed about our circumstances because we can stand fast in the Lord.

1. The coexistence

a) The explanation

Every Christian is in Christ; your life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). We are all bound up with God, and we share a common eternal life. In Paul's letters, there are 132 references to the fact that the believer is in Christ. In Philippians 3:8-9 he said, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord; for whom I have suffered to loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law [legalism], but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (emphasis added).

Being in Christ is coming into union with Him by faith. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul said, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation." Life really begins once you're in Christ. There is no life outside of Christ; there is no meaning to life without Him. Christ alone can introduce man to the God of the universe, for whom man was created. So life begins by being in Christ. And how does a person become a part of Christ? By faith (Phil. 3:9). When you accept that Christ died for you and you invite Him to become your Savior, you become one with Him. Whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17).

b) The extent

Christ lives in those who are believers, and we live in Him. We are wrapped up with the Person of Jesus Christ. The life you live is not your own; it's the life of Christ within you (Gal. 2:20). The righteousness you have before God is not your own; it is the Lord's, and it was granted to you (Rom. 3:21-26). The love you show to others is God's love, which is shed abroad in your heart (Rom. 5:5). The strength you have to do God's will is given to you through Christ (Phil. 4:13), who is able to "do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph. 3:20). Everything in our existence is Christ in us. Therein lies our security, life, and righteousness.

Paul is saying in Philippians 4:1, "Every Christian is in Christ. You may have problems in life, but stand fast knowing that you're one with Christ. Whatever is happening to you is happening to Him, and He has the resources to handle your circumstance. Some people might say, "What about when we sin?" In 1 Corinthians 6:15-16, Paul said that when a Christian joins himself to a prostitute he joins Christ to the prostitute, too. That's how complete the believer's identification is with Christ. The Lord Himself doesn't sin, but when you sin, you drag His presence into your sin because you are one with Him. If Christ is with us when we sin, that means He's also with us when we are in difficult circumstances. You can take comfort knowing that He's with you.

Stand fast in the Lord. Without God, you don't have anything to lean on for support.

2. The challenge

Are you standing fast in the Lord both positionally and practically? You are standing fast positionally if you've come to Jesus Christ, you are secure in Him. But there are many Christians who aren't standing fast practically. They waver when they encounter problems. It's important that we put into practice what is true about us positionally. In Galatians 5:1 Paul said, "Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free." He was telling the Galatians, "Don't go back to your legalistic life-style of trying to be religious by following rules. Instead, stand firm in your new freedom by being obedient to the Spirit of God as you're led by Him." That Paul commands us to stand fast indicates there are some Christians who aren't standing fast. First Corinthians 16:13 says, "Stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong" (NASB). There is nothing in the universe that can remove from us our secure positional stand in the Lord, but there are plenty of Christians who allow themselves to get knocked over practically by their circumstances.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul wrote, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." Our stand is based on the Word of God. In Ephesians 6, where we read about the armor of the believer, verse 15 says you are to have your feet "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." A soldier who is in battle needs the right kind of shoes so he can stand firm. The point of the armor is that having done all, we are to stand (Eph. 6:13). In regard to the shoes in verse 15, the emphasis is not on going out to preach the gospel, but on standing fast. Those shoes are what give you sold footing.

What will help us to stand firm? The "gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15). That's a reference to the fact that believers are at peace with God (Rom. 5:1). Satan will try to shoot us down and make us doubt the security of our salvation, question if God really cares about us, or wonder if we can be victorious in life. But if you have your feet shod right, you'll be able to tell Satan, "Hold it! I am at peace with God; He is on my side." We who are believers are at peace with God; He's on our team. We used to be rebels, but not anymore. What do we have to worry about? God is on our side. If Satan attacks, we've got God to help us.

a) The failure to stand strong

(1) The Israelites' example

In Numbers 13--14, the Israelites felt inadequate about facing the enemies before them in the Promised Land. They said the people in the land were giants, and they saw themselves as grasshoppers (Num. 13:33). As a result of their refusal to stand strong, they died in the wilderness. They didn't trust that God could handle the giant people in the Promised Land. They didn't stand fast in the Lord; instead, they stood fast in mere human wisdom, and that wouldn't hold them up. Humanly, they didn't have the military resources to handle their enemies. But that was the wrong resource to depend on. When you have a problem in your life, you have to get away from the quicksand of human confusion and stand on the rock of God's character.

(2) King David's example

In 1 Samuel 21 is an interesting account of how King David handled a specific circumstance in his life. Keep in mind that he had slain over ten thousand men in battle (1 Sam. 18:7). He had penned psalm after psalm, and more than anyone else in the Old Testament had spelled out the character of God. He was a brilliant musician and poet. He was a great man of God, and he knew victory after victory in battle.

(a) His dependence on human wisdom

However, in 1 Samuel 21:10 we read that one day "David arose, and fled ... for fear of Saul." David was afraid of Saul. He didn't remember that God was on his side, and that He was stronger than Saul. All he thought about was that Saul was after him. We could apply to him what Martin Luther told Erasmus: "Your thoughts concerning God are too human" (The Bondage of the Will [Grand Rapids: Baker, issued 1976], p. 50). When you think wrongly of God, you come up with a God who doesn't exist, and you end up with atheism. Christians who don't stand strong are atheists in practice, because by their actions they are denying that God can handle their problems.

David, in his fear, ran to Philistia, which wasn't the friendliest place to go. He went to King Achish of Gath. Verses 11-13 tell us what happened: "The servants of Achish said unto [Achish], Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was very much afraid of Achish, the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and made marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard." David pretended to be crazy. He started slobbering and scratching at things. How undignified for a king of Israel! David had forgotten that God was on his side.

When David got panicky and started acting crazy, Achish said, "Have I need of man men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence?" (1 Sam. 21:15).

(b) His departure from human wisdom

David was able to get away from Achish, and he escaped to the cave of Adullam (22:1). There he wrote Psalm 57. He said, "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth in thee. Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge" (v. 1). David couldn't go to Philistia because of Achish, and he couldn't return to Israel because of Saul. He only had one place to go--to God. While he was in the cave, he came to his senses again. He said in Psalm 57:7, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed." His heart became fixed on God. He knew he didn't have the answer to his dilemma, and finally looked to God for the answer. He jumped from the quicksand of his confusion to the rock of God's character. The psalm continues, "I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp" (vv. 7-8). David was telling himself to smile and be happy. Did his circumstance change? No; but he began to reaffirm to his own heart that he had a God who could solve his problem.

b) The Formula for standing strong

When you don't understand your circumstances but you know who God is, you can remain standing. Ephesians 6:10 tells us to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." What an incredible resource the Christian has! When troubles come your way, you can stand strong on God's character. Sometimes people will come to me and say, "I have such-and-such a problem. What book should I read to help me?" They'll expect an answer like, "Here's a book on depression," or, "Here's a book on self-evaluation." But usually I'll recommend a book that will give them a better understanding of God. We need to who our resource is. It's good to know God, and to know Him in His fullness. Paul continually pursued a greater knowledge of the Lord (Phil. 3:10). Study the truth of God and His character, for on that you can stand in the midst of any trial. Paul stood fast in the Lord in all kinds of bad circumstances because he had confidence in Him. He even sang in the Philippian jail in Acts 16:25.

B. Have an Adequate Love (vv. 1-3)

1. The expression of love (v. 1a, c)

"My brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown ... my dearly beloved."

Paul was full of love for the Philippians. But who exactly are the people he's writing to? Two of them are mentioned in the next verse.

2. The encouragement of love (v. 2)

"I beseech Euodia, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord."

a) The problem

The name Euodia means "sweet fragrance," and Syntyche means "pleasant." Apparently those women weren't living up to their names. Instead they were troublesome and were threatening the unity in the Philippian church.

b) The plea

A church split is tragic and heartbreaking. Not only is it a bad testimony, but it also leaves scars for everyone involved. It breaks God's heart when His people can't get along. There are times when a church needs to split when apostasy introduces itself, and the truth needs to walk away. But when good, honest Christians fight each other and the church is fractured, then there's a lot of heartache. Paul especially would have experienced pain because he had poured his heart into this church. He had paid a high price to get those people to know Jesus Christ, and he didn't want two women messing up the church by causing problems.

Paul could have told the Philippians to take those women and send them somewhere else. Instead, he said, "I beseech." He didn't command that the women be rebuked; he simply asked that a plea be made for unity.

3. The exhortation to love

a) The request (v. 3a)

"I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women."

It's possible that when Paul said "yokefellow," he had in mind a specific person in the Philippian congregation, but we can't be too certain. The Greek word for "yokefellow," suzugos, does appear elsewhere in the Bible as a proper name. It could be that he was asking someone in the congregation to help Euodia and Syntyche.

b) The reason (v. 3b)

"Help those women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life."

The two women Paul was talking about had labored with Paul in the gospel. They apparently had a prominent role in the church. And he wanted for them to get back together in unity again.

You shouldn't love only the lovely people that help you build up the church; you should also love the unlovely people who want to break up the church. Don't just love those who want to pat you on the back, but love those who want to stab you in the back as well. True love is indiscriminate. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5:5) is to be given to all men. Paul loved Euodia and Syntyche in addition to Barnabas, Silas, and others. His love was divine in that he loved everyone, just as God does. If God loved only the lovely, who would receive His love? Paul loved the two quarrelsome women in the Philippian church.

You'll never know the meaning of life until you learn how to love with a Christlike love. Real living involves real loving. Only those who love others enjoy and know life. Many people today are sour, warped, and unhappy because they can't forget the things they hate. It's better to love everyone. You may say, "But if I love that way, I'll get burned." Yes, but you'll have a good time getting burned because you'll love in spite of what happens. Paul said to the Colossians, "Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, [and slander].... Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long- suffering, forbearing one another .... And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness" (Col. 3:8, 12-14). Real living is real loving. We are to have an adequate love, and that love comes from God.

C. Have an Adequate Joy (v. 4)

"Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice."

Paul's statement is a command. Have you ever seen Philippians 4:4 in that light? We can go up to a believer who's perpetually miserable and say, "Did you know that the New Testament repeatedly commands us to rejoice?" One of the principles for living a fulfilled life is to rejoice.

1. The method

Do you want to be happy and know fulfillment? Rejoice. Someone might say, "But you don't know my circumstances." Paul wasn't talking about circumstances in Philippians 4:4. He didn't say, "Rejoice in your circumstances always." He said to rejoice in the Lord. Does the Lord ever cause you to lose joy? He shouldn't, because He never changes from all that He is now. People become unhappy in life because their happiness is dependent upon their circumstances rather than upon the Lord.

Paul had a supernatural resource. He was plugged into the Lord--and He knew that the Lord doesn't change (Mal. 3:6). Paul was always happy because He could trust the Lord's consistency in the midst of circumstances that came and went. His joy was in the Lord, and his circumstances couldn't touch that joy. Voltaire once exclaimed that men are "tormented atoms in a bit of mud, devoured by death, a mockery of fate. This world, this theatre of pride and wrong, swarms with sick fools who talk of happiness" (Quoted by W. P. King in The Search for Happiness [Nashville: Abingdon], p. 9). What an unhappy attitude to have in life! There aren't very many happy people in the world, because you can't know true happiness apart from the Lord. People tend to base their joy on the exhilaration of their circumstance, but the Christian's joy is predicated on the unchanging nature of his Lord, and on what the Lord has done for him.

2. The manner

Our joy should be incessant. Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always" (emphasis added). Make sure you're always standing in the Lord. We can go into the Lord's presence and be happy with who He is when we are in the middle of painful circumstances. Paul had unceasing tears for the Israelites (Rom. 9:2-3) and the Ephesians (Acts 20:31). He knew sorrow, but on the inside, his joy was constant. Would you like to have such joy? It's easy: All you need to do is walk in the Spirit. (Walking in the Spirit is basically living in full submission to God's Word and making sure your life is free of sin.) Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." Joy is a by-product of walking in the Spirit. And joy is also connected to love. Jesus said, "If you loved me, ye would rejoice" (John 14:28). Those who love are happy. Have you ever noticed that when people fall in love, they are bubbling over with happiness? In a divine sense, the same thing happens when your heart is filled with love for God: You will have overflowing joy!

D. Have an Adequate Gentleness (v. 5)

"Let your moderation [gentleness] be known unto all men."

1. The expression of gentleness

I like the Phillips translation, which paraphrases this verse to say, "Have a reputation for gentleness" (London: Bles, 1960). It bothers me that there are some people who think I'm somewhat bombastic because I talk loud and firmly when I preach. That's because I have strong convictions. Maybe I give the impression that I plow through people with those convictions. Some people say I need to work on being more gentle. Those who know me better say I am gentle. (But that still is contrary to my reputation.)

It's good to be strong about your convictions, just as Jesus cleansed the Temple in righteous indignation (John 2:13-16), but you still have to be gentle with people. In 2 Corinthians 10:1, Paul spoke of the gentleness of Christ. Our Lord was gentle with prostitutes and other sinners. The only people He didn't show gentleness to were false teachers. Gentleness is one element of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Second Timothy 2:24 says, "The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men." We can't go through the world whacking away at people with our spiritual swords.

2. The example of gentleness

In 1 Thessalonians 2:3-7, Paul spoke to the Thessalonians about how he and his co-workers had first approached them: "Our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile; but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men but God, who testeth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness; nor of men sought we glory .... But we were gentle among you, even as a [nursing mother] cherisheth her children" (emphasis added). Paul compared the way he ministered to the way a nursing mother cherishes her baby. The Greek word translated "cherish" means "to warm with body heat." Paul illustrated his gentleness to that of a mother tenderly breast feeding her infant; that's the kind of gentleness he showed to the pagan Thessalonians.

I know some Christians who are so zealous for the truth, they don't have any gentleness. Instead of attracting people to the gospel, they drive them away. They offend people not by their message but their lack of gentleness. Gentle people are happy because they don't go around warring against others. Instead, they are peacemakers. It's healthy to be gentle.

E. Have an Adequate Security (vv. 5-7)

"The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

1. Explaining security

The phrase "the Lord is at hand" has nothing to do with the Second Coming. Rather, Paul is saying, "Don't worry; the Lord is here with you. Don't think He's off somewhere else." It's exciting to know we don't have to worry because the Lord is in our presence.

2. Exemplifying security

The following illustrations are from Paul S. Rees's The Adequate Man: Paul in Philippians (pp. 104-106):

During Stalin's administration, a group of Russian peasants met in secret for worship. Some soldiers barged in on the meeting and wrote down the name of every person present. When they were done, an elderly man said, "There is one name you have not got." A soldier replied that he had all the names. The peasant insisted that he didn't, and when asked who it was, the peasant replied, "The Lord Jesus Christ!" He knew of the Lord's presence. During World War II, a missionary whose ship had been torpedoed was picked up by a German ship. He was put into the hold. When asked how he got through the night, he replied, "I began communing with the Lord. He reminded me of His word in the 121st Psalm: `My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold he ... shall neither slumber or sleep' (vv. 2-4).... So I said, `Lord, there isn't really any use for both of us to stay awake tonight. If You are going to keep watch, I'll thank Thee for some sleep!'"

The Lord is at hand. No matter what happens in your life, He's there with you. He has the resources and power you need. You don't want to fall into the trap Erasmus did, and have a God who is too human. If you perceive God incorrectly, you'll short-circuit your joy. I try to look at troubling circumstances as great opportunities for God to display himself.

How can we get to the place where we have an adequate stand in the Lord? How can we love everyone with an adequate love, and sense an adequate joy that rejoices in God's unchanging character? How do we become adequately gentle and confident of the Lord's presence?

II. THE PRACTICE (vv. 8-9)

"Brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do, and the God of peace shall be with you."

Paul is saying that you must set your mind on divine truth, which is true honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. When you do that, you will find that you'll get to know God. That's they key to having a fulfilling life.

Where do you set your mind? Where do you spend the hours of your day? Do you feed on the Word and study it? Do you pass on what you learn to others, thus making it more indelible in your own mind? As you think on the things that reveal God, you'll be able to stand on His character, love with His love, rejoice because of who He is, manifest His kind of gentleness, and stand secure in His presence. If you aren't doing all those things, then your God is too small. The only way you'll enlarge Him is by understanding the revelation that He has given of Himself in His Word.

Conclusion

Think over these words quoted by Paul Rees (p. 111):

I cannot know why suddenly the storm
Should rage so fiercely round me in its wrath;

But this I know--God watches all my path,
And I can trust.

I may not draw aside the mystic veil
That hides the unknown future from my sight,

Nor know if for me waits the dark or light;
But I can trust.

I have no power to look across the tide,
To see while here the land beyond the river;

But this I know--I shall be God's forever;
I can trust!

That's the essence of the fulfilled life: to know God so well that you trust Him in everything and you know and are characterized by undiminished security, gentleness, love, joy, and confidence.

Focusing on the Facts

1. Why is Paul a good example of how to handle the different circumstances you encounter in life (Phil. 4:12-13; see p. 1)?

2.What are some reasons to live as Paul suggests (see p. 2)?

3.Discuss the significance of Paul's statement, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17; see p. 3).

4.Using Scripture, describe the extent of the Christian's relationship to Christ (see p. 3).

5.Is every Christian standing fast positionally in the Lord? How about practically? Explain (see p. 4).

6.We are to stand firm by having our feet "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15). What does "the gospel of peace" refer to (see p. 4)?

7.What resource did the Israelites focus on when confronted with the challenge of removing their enemies from the Promised Land (see p. 5)?

8.When you have a problem in your life, you have to get away from the ________ of human ________ and stand on the ________ of God's ________ (see p. 5).

9.What is a recommended formula that will help you to stand strong in God (see p. 6)?

10. What was happening between Euodia and Syntyche and how was it affecting the Philippian church (see p. 7)?

11.How did Paul present his concern about Euodia and Syntyche to the Philippians (see p. 7)?

12.What kind of people is a truly loving person willing to love (see p. 8)?

13.True love is ________ (see p. 8).

14.What is the nature of Paul's statement in Philippians 4:4 (see p. 8)?

15.What are we to rejoice in (see p. 9)?

16.How frequently should we rejoice? Explain how we can do that (see p. 9).

17.Describe the gentleness Paul showed to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:7; see p. 10).

18.What does the phrase "the Lord is at hand" refer to in Philippians 4:5 (see pp. 10-11)?

19.How can we live a fulfilled life (Phil. 4:8-9; see p. 11)?

Pondering the Principles

1.Standing fast in the Lord means trusting Him completely in every circumstance you encounter. He is our resource and He can help us to handle our problems, even when we don't understand them. Below are some circumstances that Christians sometimes allow themselves to become overwhelmed by as a result of not trusting the Lord. Match up each circumstance with the appropriate verses and memorize that which most speaks to your needs.

a. Financial worry Romans 8:29-39

b. Injustice Matthew 28:20b

c. Doubting your salvation 1 John 1:9

d. Feeling unforgiven by God Psalm 37:1-11

e. Loneliness Matthew 6:25-33

2. One element of living a fulfilled life is having a true love for everyone. What are the characteristics of true love according to Matthew 5:43-44, Romans 13:8, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7? Write them down. Pick out two or three characteristics that you are strong in. If a Christian who was lacking in those areas came up to you and asked how he could develop those characteristics, what would you tell him? Now, pick the two or three characteristics you are weakest in, and determine a plan of action you can take to become stronger in those areas.

3.In Philippians 4:4, Paul didn't say you are to rejoice in your circumstances, but in the Lord. Ask yourself these questions: Can God sustain you in the midst of any problem? What good things has the Lord done for you or promised to you that you are thankful for? When you focus on what God has already done for you and all that He has promised to you, then you have much to rejoice about. When you lose that perspective, you'll stop depending on God and begin depending on your own human resources, which are limited. Develop a habit of constantly remembering God's sustenance and all that He has done for you. With that kind of mindset, you will be able to rejoice in the Lord always.

Added to the John MacArthur "Study Guide" Collection by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986