Coming into Focus

Coming into Focus
Philippians 4: 4 – 9.

Introduction

I just knew this would never happen to me.  All my life, I have had perfect vision and never had a need for eyeglasses. But, when I turned 42, something happened.  The words on the page got smaller.  The lights seemed dimmer.  And my arms seemed too close to my eyes.

It’s really funny how it happened.  Our laptop computer at home stopped charging.  We decided to buy a new charger on the Internet.  Shauna looked for a charger for our computer model.  The website asked her for the model number on the charger.  I flipped the charger over and looked for the number.  Then, I said, “They print these numbers a lot smaller than they used to.”  I was in complete denial. 

Then, I noticed that I was having a hard time reading at home.  I could read just fine in my church office, because I sit next to a window with lots of sunlight.  But, I had a hard time reading at home.  I figured it was these new light bulbs—the ones that are shaped like a pigtail.  The new light bulbs are just not as good as the old incandescent bulbs.  I was in complete denial.

I was talking to Shirley Ladd about it one Sunday.  She suggested I try on her glasses.  I said (what any self-respecting man would say), “I do NOT need glasses.”  But I put them on.  Everything was out of focus.  She told me to look at the bulletin.  When I looked at the bulletin, something miraculous happened.  I could see the words.  Nothing was blurry.  Nothing was out of focus.

I went out the next day and bought a pair of reading glasses.  If I wear them down on the tip of my nose, I can read a book and look over the top of the lenses to see what is going on around me.

There are a couple of ways we can use the word “focus.”  So far, I have been using “focus” in a very literal sense to describe a physical function of our eyes.  When our eyes do not focus, the words on the page appear blurry.  When our eyes do focus, the words on the page appear clear and distinct…we sometimes say the words “come into focus.”

We also use the word “focus” in a more figurative sense.  Figuratively, the word “focus” can be used to describe an intellectual function of our minds rather than a function of our eyes.  Sometimes, we use the word “focus” to describe how well we are able to concentrate on a specific task—as in the expression, “There are too many distractions.  I just can’t ‘focus’ on my work.”

In Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul calls us to “focus” on the things of God rather than the things of this world.  This kind of “focus” is not a function of our physical eyes as much as it is a function of our spiritual (and intellectual) lives.  We are to focus our spiritual attention (and spiritual affection) on the things that are truly important (matters of eternity), rather than allow the worldly activities around us to distract us.

Philippians 4: 4 -9… 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Last Sunday we read Philippians 4: 2 – 7, which contains part of the Scripture I read this morning.  One way to interpret this section is to think of it as a kind of “sandwich.”  Philippians 4: 2 – 3 describes a church conflict between two women leaders.  Philippians 4: 4 – 7 describes true Joy and true Peace.  Philippians 4: 8 – 9 describes the kind of pure thoughts and pure living Christians ought to demonstrate in daily life.

The reason I say this is a “sandwich” is the way these three sections fit together.  The first section describes a church conflict.  The last section describes a church united in pure thought and pure living.  The middle section describes how we can get from conflict to unity.  The way to move from conflict to unity is to “focus” on God.

The Lord Is Near

Verse 4 begins with a command to “Rejoice in the Lord always.”  For Christians, Joy is not optional.  Joy is commanded and ought to be an integral part of our daily lives.  This does not mean we are supposed to live sad and dreary lives interrupted by brief moments of fleeting Joy.  No.  The Christian life is supposed to be an ongoing experience of Joy in all circumstances…regardless the circumstances…despite the circumstances.

According to Paul’s words in Philippians 4, there are two reasons that Christians can find Joy in all circumstances. 

First, we find our Joy “in the Lord” and not in our circumstances.  Paul almost exclusively uses the word “Lord” to refer to Jesus Christ.  Therefore, Paul is telling us to find our Joy in Jesus and no other source.  If we find Joy “in the Lord Jesus,” then the world neither gives us Joy nor takes Joy away from us.  Paul invites us to remember what Jesus gives us that the world cannot provide. 

I don’t believe I could ever give an exhaustive list of all that Christians receive from Jesus.  But, speaking in broad categories, we can list three gifts that Jesus gives and the world cannot take away from us:  Salvation, Abundant Life and Eternal Life.  The death of Jesus on the cross gives us forgiveness of sins and overcomes the great divide that stands between sinful humanity and a holy God.  Faith in Jesus gives us a life worth living—life that has meaning and purpose as a beloved child of God with a reason for living.  The Resurrection of Jesus is more than proof that Jesus is the unique Son of God.  It is also the promise of eternal life for anyone who places their lives in God’s hands through faith in Jesus.

In verse 5, Paul says there is a second reason Christians can rejoice always.  It is because the Lord is near.

Some people see this as a reference to the Second Coming of Jesus.  They suggest Paul encourages Christians to find Joy in the midst of difficult circumstances by trusting that Jesus will return before things get more difficult than we can handle.  But, that does not fit with the way this same phrase is used in the Old Testament.

Psalm 145: 18 – 19…  18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

Paul is not telling us to find Joy because Jesus is coming soon.  Paul tells us to find Joy because Jesus is already here.  Jesus is near whenever we call on him.  Whatever circumstances we are facing, all we have to do is call on the Lord.  Jesus is near us…Jesus is with us whenever we pray.

Prayer

It is possible to make prayer more complicated than it has to be.  The simplest definition of prayer is “calling on the Lord.”  Any time we call on God, we are praying.  When we whisper “thank you” after surviving a difficult or dangerous situation, we are praying.  When we call out “help me” before making a decision or facing a hardship, we are praying.  Prayer is very simply “calling on the Lord.”

Some people believe prayer is a sign of desperation.  As long as we can handle the circumstances of life, there is no need to pray.  If I can do it on my own, I don’t need to pray.  But, if circumstances are out of my control…if life is too difficult for me to handle with my own strength and intelligence, then I need to pray.

And that is exactly what prayer is.  The only people who pray are desperate and needy people.  The problem is that we don’t usually recognize how desperate and needy we truly are.  The fact is, we cannot provide for our own needs without the Lord’s intervention.  We do not have the strength (or the wisdom) to face the decisions and situations of life without God’s resources.  We do not have the will power to resist temptation without the ongoing presence of God in our lives.

According to Paul’s words in Philippians 4: 6, prayer is the only way to face the anxieties of life.  He tells us not to be anxious about anything, but to pray about everything.  Notice the way he uses the words “anything” and “everything.”  Do not be anxious about “anything.”  But, pray about “everything.”  In other words, Paul believes that prayer is the antidote to worry and anxiety.

People who pray recognize that God is in control of the outcome.  People who worry THINK they are in control.

People who worry focus only on their problems.  People who pray focus on God, who is bigger than (and can handle) whatever problems we might face.

When we pray, we receive two benefits from God.  As we just read in Psalm 145, “The Lord is near to all who call on him…”  And, now Paul tells us that people who pray have the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding.”  We have Peace, because the Lord is near, and because we recognize God can handle our problems.

Prayer is a matter of focus.  Prayer helps us take our focus off of ourselves and to focus on God.  We take our focus off of our own strengths, our own wisdom and to focus on God’s strength and God’s wisdom.

Put into Practice

In verses 8 – 9, Paul shifts his focus from the spiritual realm to the intellectual realm.  Our spiritual lives are to focus on the Lord, who is our source of Joy and Peace.  Our thought lives are to focus on all things virtuous.

Notice that Paul uses the word “whatever” over and over in these verses: whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.  This tells me that Paul believes virtue can be found outside the church (as well as inside the church).  It also tells me that Paul believes that regular Christians have the discernment we need to determine the difference between virtue and vice.

When I was a teenager, these verses were often used by my youth minister and other Christian adults as a way to keep our youth group from watching movies and listening to secular music.  The idea was that Christians are supposed to withdraw from the world so that we will not become like the world.

Actually, I think Paul has the opposite point of view.  If Christians withdraw from the world, then there is no way we can affect the world.  Withdrawing from the world is like saying we have given up on the world.  We are going to Heaven, and the rest of the world can go to Hell.

Paul never gave up on the world, because God never gave up on the world.  God sent his Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world. After Jesus ascended into Heaven, God placed the church in the world with the assignment to continue the work of Christ.  Ultimately, the Christian faith is a world-transforming faith.

Changing the world is not an intellectual exercise, accomplished by thinking about virtuous things.  No.  Paul makes a strong connection between our thought life and the way we live in the real world.  Filling our minds with virtuous thoughts will lead to a virtuous life.  Filling our minds with things that are not virtuous will lead to a life that is not virtuous.

A person will begin to resemble whatever he or she admires.

Conclusion

There is an old Quaker story told about a king who asked for an inventory to be taken of all the flowers in his kingdom. He sent out a census taker with a clipboard to count all his flowers. Then he realized that the information would be of little value to him unless he had something to compare it with. So he called for a second census taker. This one was asked to count all the weeds in the kingdom.

Before long, the first census taker came back, floating into the king’s chamber, draped in smiles and warmth. “King, whatever you do, don’t ever transfer me or my family out of this kingdom. It has to be the most beautiful kingdom in the world. It is overrun with flowers.” 

Just then the door slammed and the second census taker came stomping in, threw down his clipboard and demanded an immediate transfer to another land. “King,” he shouted, “this has got to be the worst kingdom in the world. It’s overrun with weeds. I didn’t even get past the drawbridge and I couldn’t count all the weeds in this kingdom. I want out!!” 

The moral of the story is that in this life you are going to see what you are looking for, and it will affect your feelings and behavior. If we look for the things that are excellent and good, we will excel and be good. Look for the junk, and you will feel and behave junky.

Where is your focus?  When we focus on the difficulties of life, our lives are filled with worry and anxiety.  When we focus on the Lord (through prayer), we find true Joy and true Peace.

When we focus on the weeds and vices of the world, we will become like what we admire.  When we focus on the flowers and the virtues of the world, we will become like what we admire…in this case, we become more like Jesus—our Savior and Example.