Dear Church Family: 
 
Last Sunday we went deeper into John’s prologue (the first 18 verses of the gospel of John) in looking at his overview of the nature of Christ. We have learned what it means to say that Christ was/is the Logos ... the Word of God ... to both Jew and Gentile alike.  We have seen that Jesus existed before the creation of anything (eternal existence) and that He co-existed with God the Father (co-existence), and that He “was God” – meaning, in this context, He was not the same identical Person as the Father, but He was identical in nature and in every other way (co-equality). Accordingly, right off the bat, we are introduced to the fact that Jesus Christ is God and that there is more than one Person in the Godhead and, in looking at Genesis 1:1-2, and some other passages, we realize that there are actually three Persons in the Godhead ... Father, Son, and Spirit ...  and yet there is only one God.  
 
Lord willing, tomorrow we will go further in John 1:5-8  and explore the meaning of the fact that Jesus was also the “Life” and was/is also the “Light”. 
 

ENCOURAGEMENT 

We have been looking the last few weeks at what Robert J. Morgan calls his “six-point strategy for mental peace” by examining Philippians 4:4-9.  Today we come to Philippians 4:7, which states: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Morgan expounds on this verse in chapter 63 of his book, One Hundred Bible Verses Everyone Should Know by Heart. Here is Morgan’s account. 

If you rejoice in the Lord, practice graciousness, practice God’s nearness, cast your worries on Him, and pray with thanksgiving (our six easy steps), the peace of God “shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Amplified Bible). 

  • The peace of God: This isn’t just the peace God gives; it’s the peace He enjoys, His own internal dimensions of peace. It’s the peace of Christ Himself, who said in John 14:27: “My peace I give to you.” 
  • Which surpasses all understanding (every thought): It’s beyond our ability to understand it or to explain it to others. When we do as God commands here, we are promised an inner composure utterly unexplained and inexplicable. 
  • Will guard: Paul used a Greek military term here, which meant to station sentries to protect, defend, and preserve an area. 
  • Your hearts and minds: Our emotions and our thoughts. 
  • In Christ Jesus: It’s part of the birthright of those in an abiding relationship with Him.  

In his book Spiritual Depression, Martyn Lloyd-Jones told of a Salvation Army worker and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. John George Carpenter, who had a radiant daughter dedicated to Asian missionary work. When she contracted typhoid, the Carpenters prayed earnestly but somehow felt they shouldn’t pray for her recovery. Their prayer was for God to heal her if it was His will. They prayed like this for six weeks, then the girl passed away. The morning she died, John said to his wife, “You know, I am aware of a strange and curious calm within.” Mrs. Carpenter said, “I feel exactly the same. This must be the peace of God.” 

“And it was the peace of God,” said Lloyd-Jones. “It was the peace of God keeping the heart and mind quiet in the sense that they could not upset the person ... They could not understand it, and that was the only explanation – ‘It must be the peace of God.’ It was. Thank God for it. You and I cannot explain these things, they overpower us; but He is almighty. With prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, therefore, let your requests be made known unto Him, and He, through His peace in Christ, will keep your heart and mind at rest and in peace.”

Morgan ends his account with the following memory tip:  

Consider adding Philippians 4:8-9 to your memory work. It completes the thought. While verse 7 talks about the peace of God, verse 9 promises something even better – the God of Peace.

Morgan then ends his account with the following quote from the Puritan, Thomas Watson:

God the Father is called the God of Peace (Hebrews 13:20). God the Son, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Peace (Ephesians 4:3).

No matter what you might be experiencing in your life at this time, I trust that you will experience more and more of that supernatural peace of God that truly passes all understanding and that it floods your hearts and your minds continually. 

Soli Deo Gloria! 

Love,

John & Terri
Phil. 4:7