Peaceful Prayer

Sunday Morning Sermon

Date: 21st February 2010

Title: Peaceful Prayer

Written By: Andre Charles

Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Let's get the backdrop.

Php 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

Php 1:4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

Php 1:5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Php 1:7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

Php 1:8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

Php 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

Philipians is a personal book. It's like Paul's family. Paul was in prison and they sent a gift to him while he was there beacuse he was in need.

This is more of a reason for him to feel so strongly about them and have such an affection in his writing to them.

Philipians breaks down alot of daily living with respect to God. It's not practical living as such but more of daily devotion to God and how to communicate with him.

So he says this.

Be carefull for nothing or do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.....

1. EVERYTHING BY PAYER

Now he says everything because he knows these people. He knows the everything that he is talking about. He knows their community and their issues and he knows what they have to content with on a daily basis. So when Paul says everything, he is not just saying everything from a surface level but from a deeper level that they know he knows, cuz he was there.

But in everything - Everything in reference to the supply of your wants, and the wants of your families; everything in respect to afflictions, embarrassments, and trials; and everything relating to your spiritual condition. There is nothing which pertains to body, mind, estate, friends, conflicts, losses, trials, hopes, fears, in reference to which we may not go and spread it all out before the Lord.

In the tabernacle God was specific.

Exo 26:10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.

Exo 26:11 "You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole.

Exo 26:12 And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle.

When God was laying down the specs for where he would dwell he mixed no matters with dimensions and lengths and design. So when God says everything he means everything.

BY PRAYER.

Here is the focus. Prayer, communication with God. the prayer he is talking about here is not prayers of adoration. This is a prayer of requests because when we look at the next word we see that it is a A petition that has substance and definite criteria.

When Jeus says "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses" that is definite. There are no grey areas in that statement. The prayer of petition is definite and clear.

2. AND SUPPLICATION

Now we can't leave out the and supplication because they are one in the same it goes hand in hand with prayer. Now we could greek it out and come up with petition as a substitute english word. So some translations would have with prayer and petitoin. A petition is a definite call for something and it is ongoing.... petitions do not stop until a response is given. Now we will see how the text breaks down responses in a while... but the idea of a petition is to consistently pursue the matter.

When students of a school have to petition for a better teacher they need to consistently take it to the administration. If the administration seems like they they are not taking them on, they could either get fed up and stop because they see no results or continuiously try to put it before them. If they do get a response they would be surely happy because they would believe that it was well worth the wait.

When you think about supplication and petition which is what the passage is bringing out, it wants us to consistently take the request to God and believe that he has our ear and is working on it. But it's ALL according to his will. If you are petitioning for something that is not the will of God.... you won't get it. You may get a a response that he will not for some reason.

Look at Paul

2Co 12:7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

2Co 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.

2Co 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Suppose you are petitioning for your brother to break his leg beacuse you don't want him to run against you in the sports day..... that is not in the will of God so God will not do it just like that.

If your prayer is for the salvation of a soul then God will be forced to respond because it's in his word and he holds that word above his name. So your prayers do go a long way in the effectual call of God in someone's life.

So supplication is an on going exercise that requires devotion longsuffering and persistence. We often fail at this because our human nature tends to give up easily.

3. WITH THANKSGIVING

here is where we have a slight misconception. thanksgiving is not being thankful for when the outcome reaches. Thanksgivng is for the fact that we have the privellage to directly ask God and just for that we should be giving thanks for salvation and the privellage.

The song says. WHAT A PRIVELLAGE AND AN HONOUR TO WORSHIP AT YOUR THRONE, BE CALLED INTO YOUR PRESENCE AS YOUR OWN.........

So you have to consistently ask and be happy that you have the privellage to even say Abba Father!

Make the request known to God because it is God who orchestrates everything that we don't really understand.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Why do we need peace? because if we don't have it we would be worrying about what we pray for all the time.

But if you are at peace you would not be worrying you would be confident and assured that everything would be ok.

Here the theme of salvation comes up again, becuase he says "through Christ Jesus" here is the reason to give thanks. The fact that we have a mediator in the son of God we can boldly approach the throne through Christ Jesus. This privellage is enough to convince us that we have a reason to give thanks for the opportunity to hear prayers and literally change the spiritual atmosphere by the spirit that is in us.

Col 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

4. THE PEACE OF GOD

The peace that is expected at the end of prayer is synonymous with calm releif that the 'everythings' have been put in a place where they are being addressed. You don't have peace on your work desk when you have files work stacked up. You don't feel at peace when you are studying and you have books piled up to read. Those are the everythings...... they are real in your life but when given to God they are still real but supernaturally dealt with therefore your concern is to fulfull your physical duty and leave the supernatural to God.

In evangelism when you are working with someone to get them to a knowledge of Christ, you don't force salvation upon them. You do your physical duty which is to give them the Gospel through the word of God and then YOU PRAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. You pray that God in his soverign will, would cause his heart to be moved by the spirit of God to come to an understanding. Because it's the spirit that draws them. So you pray about the day, time, weather, circumstances, the reception, the tracts, the food, the words you would use... and whatever happens you know that you have a peace that comes from God. That peace dictates that you have just put it in the hands of the master and he would address it according to his will which assures you that he cares about the lost and he is working by his spirit so you have no need to take your request on your own shoulder.

1Ti 2:4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Same way applies to all facets of life. Your job, your shcool, your neighbors, your freinds, your plants. All you have to to do is act in accordance with God's (which means you should know it and at least find out) word and then then pray with supplication (continuiously and ferverently) for the situation and believe that you are actually living out the word of God in your life, then you are promised to have a peace that it is in good hands.

When daniel says she is going to be here for a time, I have peace and confidence that she is doing all in her power to reach. When sister parker says she is going to pray for me i have a peace and confidence that she is going to. When God says he will supply my every need accorrding to his riches in glory I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT HE IS GOING TO DO IT AND THAT BRINGS ME PEACE!

Php 4:19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

HAIR TO STAY

HAIR TO STAY

1Corinthians 11

¹Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

²Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

³But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

⁴Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

⁵But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

⁶For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

⁷For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

⁸For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man.

⁹Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

¹⁰For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

¹¹Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

¹²For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

¹³Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

¹⁴Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

¹⁵But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

¹⁶But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God

Now I put the whole passage because we need to take it as a whole and in it's context.

This is not the deepest of biblical revelations it is a simple application of the basic questions anyone should ask when reading the bible esp with the writings of Paul.

Who was he writing to?

When was he writing to them?

Why did he have to write?

What was his central point?

Who was he writing to?

Paul was writing to the church of Corinth. Corinth was similar to a business hub like new York, Miami, England, (what Trinidad wants to be lol). There were diverse mixtures of people in the city and of course many different cultures and customs came together in one place. This merger of culture would have been a breeding ground cultural influences to foster.

When was he writing to them?

He was writing to them a few months after he left them. He apparently stayed with the church for about a year and a half to establish it and he moved on.

Acts 18:11 And he continuedthere a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Why did he have to write?

He had two reasons for writing:

1. He got a letter from them with some complaints. (7:1 Now for the matters you wrote about...)

2. He got news from the house of Chloe (1:11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you)

What was his central point?

In this passage (vs11) he is specifically dealing with the headship of a man and his wife.

11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

The greek work used for man and woman in this passage is "anér" and "guné" respectively

So the foundation of this script is that it is speaking about a husband and a wife not general men and women. The context of usage of man and woman here is specifically dealing with husband and wife relationships. This can be shown by the fact that the head of every husband is Christ and the head of the wife is the husband.

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Consequently the same two words for husband and wife in Ephesians. This shows that the context of the usage of the two words was understood by the readers because when he said "aner" in a specific context he may have meant man and in another he would have meant husband.

It is similar to the negative-positive meanings that we use in our culture... namely words like "dread" "bad" "sick". In context bad means bad. In another bad means good. So Paul was talking about husband and wife.

11:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.

So now when a man (husband) prayed covering his head in that culture he was dishonoring his "head" which head? The head he is speaking about is not his physical head but the head that was laid out in the verse before, meaning Christ. So the man covering his head in their custom was not showing headship over his wife. Because the covering of the head was a sign of submission in the marital context. How could he pray and prophesy if he was not taking the headship in his marriage?

11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

He goes on to speak about a woman dishonoring her head (the Husband). Their jewish influenced culture understood that a woman with her head covered showed submission to her husband. If she did not have her head covered she was looked upon as a rbelious wife that had no respect for her husband.

Since in their culture long hair was carried by a woman, Paul said basically in trini slang "IS BESS SHE SHAVE SHE HEAD AND DONE. IF SHE DON'T WANT TO SUBMIT TO THE MAN, IS BESS SHE LOOK LIKE ONE"

11:6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

So we see here that Paul wants to establish headship in a husband and wife relationship and uses the culture that they were in to bring across his point to the readers who at that time had a clear understanding of what was going on because....... they were in the culture.

^11:13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

^11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

^11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

doth not nature?

Nature here is not birds and bees and trees and animals. Nature is everything around us, meaning all that is around us including human nature and cultural nature. Their cultural nature was that women would cover their head to show submission plain and simple and they would have long hair and a man would not.

If a man had the long hair he would be seen as dishonoring his head which is Christ because what they understood it to be was.
SHORT HAIR= Man of God who is the Head of his Wife

LONG HAIR = Woman of God who knows her role as a wife and where she stands.

That was the fact in that time which is why paul used it. The word of God is not trying to lay a law about long hair. It is laying a law about the confines in which a marriage is supposed to be carried out with respect to headship and submission.

Christ ---> Husband ----> Wife

Today's Application

If we were to apply that today we could find many other things that point to a woman being humble in our society.

We could see for instance:

A woman allowing her husband to speak on behalf of the family when the need arises instead of always cutting him off.
A man ensuring that he get's his family to church on time every Sunday.

A man leading the family in it's spiritual growth and direction

I'm sure you can think of many things that a husband can do in our culture to show that he is the head of his wife in a spiritual sense and that a woman has a husband that she sees and respects as the head.

Conclusion

All in all this passage up to verse 16 is not about hair length and lays down no biblical law of the length of one's hair (both male and female).

The focus of the passage is to establish headship in a marriage. It simply used cultural norms of that day to bring it across which is what Paul normally does in his teachings.

The real issue with long hair

If your hair is an expression of you it's no problem....... if it's an expression of your pride/idolatry then there is a problem.
Idolizing your hair is as real as idolizing a golden calf. (both male and female)

We have made style an idol and we put it higher than our relationship with God.