-In one sense those of us who were not the original recipients of this letter are at somewhat of a disadvantage, as Paul no doubt taught the believers in Philippi many things to which he only alludes in this verse. The rest of us haven’t received them directly from Paul, we didn’t see them fleshed out in his life while he lived among us. We have been left to try and glean what we can from what is contained in the balance of this letter as well as what is contained in his other writings. No easy task, this, but Paul says it will be worth it (cf 2Timothy 3.16-17). Any effort expended to mine life-changing truths from Paul’s letters (not to mention the rest of Scripture) not only contributes towards helping us gain access to the life which is to come, but also towards gaining access to the very presence of God in the present.
-And so what we have here is the other side of the coin, the rest of the formula, if you will, for experiencing God’s peace, altho not just peace - which remember is shalom, the sense of wellness and wholeness in our hearts and minds which comes from God - but actually God Himself, the God Who IS peace, the Source of this shalom. When we follow Paul’s example, we not only get more of God’s peace, we somehow also get more of the God OF peace. We get God’s peace because Paul promises that God Himself will be with us. Has it ever occurred to you that Emmanuel is in fact God with us (Matthew 1.23)? The truth is, peace and God’s presence are inseparable (cf Psalm 46.10-11). Thus the significance of Jesus' promise to be with us always in Matthew 28.20, and for His Spirit to be with us in John 14.16-17.
-We must not underestimate the importance of this concept of God actually being with us - God’s presence is a difference maker! All through the Word of God we see that when God was with people, when He was with His people, life was different. When He showed up, stuff happened. Amazing things happened. Needs were met, obstacles were overcome, lives were changed forever. This promise of God’s presence with His people is repeated throughout Scripture (Genesis 26.3, Genesis 26.24, Genesis 28.15, Genesis 31.1, Genesis 46.4, Exodus 3.12, Deuteronomy 31.6-8, Deuteronomy 31.23, Joshua 1.9, Judges 6.16, 1Chronicles 28.20, 2Chronicles 20.17, Isaiah 41.10, Isaiah 43.2, Isaiah 45.14, Jeremiah 1.8, Jeremiah 15.20, Jeremiah 30.11, Haggai 2.4, Acts 18.10, 2Corinthians 13.11), and to be sure, it is the very fact of His presence which distinguishes those who are His people from the ones who are not (cf Exodus 33.14-16; Genesis 21.22, Genesis 26.28, 2Chronicles 32.7-8, Zechariah 8.23). God’s presence is seen not only in the way His people behave and respond in various situations but also in the shalom and blessings and fruit and success and yes, miracles which the Lord produces in and thru their lives as they walk with Him (Exodus 34.10, Numbers 14.8-9, Deuteronomy 2.7, Joshua 3.7, Judges 6.12, 1Samuel 10.7, 2Samuel 7.3, 2Samuel 7.9, 1Chronicles 22.18, 2Chronicles 13.12, Luke 1.28). And the inverse is also seen to be true - God’s absence assures ultimate failure and is to be avoided at all costs (2Chronicles 25.7). Thus we see that the vital nature of God’s presence to blessing and success comes to be a part of greetings (Ruth 2.4) and leave-takings as well as bendictions - instead of wishing people good luck, God’s people wish that the Lord may be with you (1Samuel 17.37, 1Chronicles 22.11, 1Chronicles 22.16, Amos 5.14, Romans 15.33, 2Thessalonians 3.16).
-Paul says that the means of securing God’s presence, which again is the key to blessing and success (the same principle is found elsewhere in Scripture, cf Joshua 1.8-9) - is to be practicing whatever things he has taught us to do. Which means doing what God wants. In other words, God - this God of peace - will be abundantly present with those who are practicing and doing the things He wants them to do, doing so not out of rote obedience, but because they want to get better at doing what God wants. They are following Him with their whole heart. We stay close to Him, and whadya know, He stays close to us! Inversely, God’s presence is removed, He goes away, when His people go away in their hearts (Numbers 14.43).
-Obviously under the new covenant, God’s people know that God will never leave nor forsake them (Hebrews 13.6), so the experience (or not) of God’s presence for God’s people now is seen in how His Spirit Who indwells them is moving and working (or not) in and thru their lives (Romans 8.9, Romans 8.13-14). Make no mistake, there should be something qualitatively (abundantly) different about the people of God because He is with them.
-But experiencing the presence of God is thus not merely a question of exposure to truth, to which Paul aluded in the previous verse. Implementation is equally as important, if not more so. This was Jesus’ point in the parable of the houses. The one whose house gets built on solid rock is the person who both hears His Word AND does it (Matthew 7.24-27). Paul tells us that we must be constantly doing these things, putting them into practice in a way that we get better at them. Practice makes perfect, right? At least it makes you better... Which means there are two vital components to presently experiencing God’s peace and the presence of the God Who is peace - we put our stock in all the things mentioned in verse 8 (TRUST), AND we practice living in conformity to that (OBEY). What I do is equally as important as what I believe (in fact it shows what I believe), and it is essential to unlocking and securing God presence in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment