This sermon was preached at Ascension Reformed Church in Moscow, Idaho on October 11, A.D. 2026. The video can be found here.
Philippians 4:2–9
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you (NKJV).
Introduction
This morning we have come to our second-to-last sermon in the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. And the topic I want to address is that of anxiety, of excessive worrying.
I believe this is a very important topic for Christians to consider because it is a very common temptation and sin. But because it is common, it is often something that goes overlooked and unaddressed.
Sure, there are some saints who struggle in a particular way with anxiety. They are very aware of its dominating presence in their lives. They may be dealing with what doctors describe as depression or an anxiety disorder. And they do need to heed the instructions in this passage. But they are not the only people who need to hear the Apostle Paul’s words here. Everybody—every person—man, woman, and child—in this post-Fall world—has to deal with the sin of anxiety.
Even that phrase, “sin of anxiety,” might be a bit startling. Worry is so very natural to us, that you might think – how can it be a sin to worry – when there are so many things to worry about? Well, that is what I will try to address for you this morning. We’ll consider what anxiety is—where it comes from and when it is sin—and then look at two God-given tools that we are given to work through that anxiety found in our passage. But before that, let’s walk through a summary of our text.
Summary of the Text
In our passage this morning, we have the Apostle Paul’s final exhortations and admonitions to the church in Philippi, before his conclusion, which we will look at next week.
This exhortation begins on a very personal note, with Paul naming two specific women, Euodia and Syntyche, strongly urging them to be of the same mind (v. 2). We do not know who these women were, but Paul calling them out by name in a public letter to the whole church tells us the division between them was a matter for the entire church. It was likely the kind of division that threatened disunity throughout the whole body. And although this is certainly a public rebuke of their situation, Paul identifies the women as co-laborers with him in the gospel, along with a man named Clement and the rest of his fellow workers (v. 3).
I’ll simply note here that this is a good example of how, although we do not permit women to hold ordained offices or leadership positions in the church, they are still indispensable to the work of ministry. The Apostle Paul is not ashamed or shy about calling them important and vital to his work.
And so Paul requests that the “true companion” help them, or come alongside them, toward unity. It is not clear to us who this “true companion” was. It could have been Epaphroditus, who most likely delivered this letter to the church in Philippi. It could be a reference to the whole church, a term of affection for them. Or it could actually even be translated as a proper name—“Syzygus.” Commentators throughout the centuries have not agreed, and have come up with some interesting ideas (Paul’s wife?). Which tells me that we simply do not have enough information to know.
Regardless, Paul’s earnest desire for the Philippians is that they be of one mind, and he notes that their names are written in “the Book of Life.” This means their names are in the registers of heaven. This detail reminds us that these women at odds, and all the saints—you and me—are united on the same list by the blood of the Lamb—and therefore, we ought to live that way and be united here and now.
The Apostle Paul then gives a final command – twice – to rejoice. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (v. 4). The way he writes it, it’s as if he anticipates the objection, “Rejoice always? Even in these circumstances?” Yes, again I say, rejoice!, he replies. He then tells them to let their “reasonableness” or “gentleness” be evident to all people (v. 5). Reasonableness here means being willing not to unduly insist on your rights. It is a willingness to bend (or be bent), to not be stiff and demanding in all things. To be considerate of others and gentle.
Right prior to his command in verse 6 to “be anxious for nothing,” the Apostle Paul says that “the Lord is at hand.” This could be understood in two ways, either in an eschatological sense, that the Lord’s return is soon. He is coming physically in judgment and salvation, which is true. Or it could be translated as, “The Lord is near,” with more of a sense of His presence. Paul uses the word both ways in his letters, and perhaps even both are in mind here. Knowing the Lord is near, Paul admonishes his readers to “be anxious for nothing” (v. 6). Instead, they should turn to the Lord with thanksgiving in prayer and supplication, offering all their requests to Him. Paul offers a promise here, that when believers do this, the peace of God which is beyond our understanding or imagination will then guard our hearts and minds (v. 7).
Lastly, in verses 8–9, the Apostle Paul lists eight different virtues, saying that whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy—should be meditated upon. And not only that, but they are to take what they have received from and seen in the Apostle Paul’s life and do likewise, with again the promise that the God of peace will be with them.
Causes of Anxiety
Now this morning, again we are specifically going to focus in on the Apostle Paul’s command in verse 6, “Be anxious for nothing.”
But before we can consider how to obey this good command, we must first define what it means to be anxious. What exactly is anxiety? What are we talking about?
The word here for “anxious” simply means to worry. Anxiety could be defined as an absence of peace.
The first thing to understand is that it is not always a sin to worry, or to be concerned about something. We see this in the fact that the Apostle Paul uses this exact word in Philippians 2 to describe Timothy’s ministry. In Philippians 2:20 he writes, “For I have no one like-minded, who will be genuinely concerned [or sincerely care] for your state.” That’s the same word as “anxious” here in verse 6. Clearly, this is a commendable attribute for someone in ministry: to be concerned for the flock, to even be anxious for the good of God’s people.
Likewise, when writing to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul says that God has composed the Body of Christ with different members that are to honor one another, that there would be no schism, and that they would “have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12:24–25). Again, the word “care” there is the same as our passage.
What this means is that the biblical command to not be anxious is not a call to a kind of Stoicism, in which you aspire to a sort of emotional indifference regarding your life and the world around you. It is not wrong to be concerned for the welfare of your spouse or children. To be worried about a severe medical diagnosis. To wonder about the future and make preparations for it. In fact, if someone were never concerned for their children, or their finances, or whatever may come tomorrow —that would be another sort of sin, the neglect of duty or slothfulness.
So the question then is – what is the difference? What is the difference between a normal kind of concern and sinful anxiety? What is the difference between appropriate worry and sinful worry? How do we know when anxiety needs to be fought rather than tolerated?
The difference is the difference between faith and unbelief. The difference is found in the space between trust and hopelessness, and importantly, what you do with your various worries and cares.
Do you keep them to yourself, tending and cultivating the weeds of worry in your heart, until you’re completely tangled? Or do you offer them to the Lord? Do you seek refuge in Him? Anxiety becomes sin when it is divorced from in faith in God. This can start small, with a minor thing, but when left unchecked, or when the trial grows bigger and bigger, it can become an all-consuming mentality and framework through which you interpret life. And so, before we look at two tools that the Lord has provided His people with to fight through anxiety, a question to ask yourselves this morning is this:
What are you anxious about? What worries you the most? Is there some concern that is robbing your peace and joy? That is dominating your heart and your mind?
Maybe you are worried about someone in your family. You’re concerned about one of your children in a difficult season. Or maybe your spouse isn’t who you expected them to be, and you find yourself staying up at night in those quiet moments after a fight. Or perhaps you’re realizing you’re not who you thought you were, and you are anxiously wondering if there is any hope. So often anxiety comes from a lack of some good thing – like sickness or a disease when you desire health, or big bills and a less-than-ideal income when you just want comfortable finances. Relational conflict also brings with it anxiety. Maybe you’re at odds with a family member or friend. You’re worried about a disagreement with a co-worker or are dreading an email you think is inevitable from your boss.
Lastly, although this is certainly not an exhaustive list, we must not forget that kind of anxiety, worry, and depression that some are prone to that seemingly is disconnected from circumstances. Some people are surrounded by many blessings and yet feel broken and hollow inside. Here we must recognize the mysterious relationship between the heart and soul, and the body and brain. The inscrutable connection between the spiritual and the physical, that even the best pastors and physicians struggle to discern.
Some people are simply more prone, for whatever reason, toward a pattern of worry and anxiety. And so when it comes to both providential hardships and internal confusion, we must also have a category for anxiety as an affliction, which sin gets tangled up in… as it always does. Suffering and sin often intermingle, which is why, even when you try to help someone in a deep pit, you must remind them what they can do, even in their weakness, with the Spirit’s help. And what they can do, and what you must do in times of anxiety, is look to the Lord. Even when you feel like you can barely pray, you can still open your hands with a cry of, “Help… Please help me.”
And so what I want you to understand is that it is indeed a normal part of the human experience to be afraid and worried and anxious at times. But our passage this morning is now showing you what to do when those times come. The Apostle Paul is showing you the way through that anxiety to real joy in Christ. /////
Thankful Prayer
Which leads us to the first tool in our passage.
Again we read in verses 6–7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
The first tool is the tool of prayer. Not just prayer sometimes or randomly. But in every circumstance. Paul says, “Be anxious for nothing” and “in everything… let your requests be made known to God.” This means that no matter what you are anxious or worried about, the Lord wants to hear from you in prayer. He is asking you to lay it down at His feet, with a promise that He will answer with His peace.
But note that this is not just any kind of prayer. Notice what the prayer, supplication, and requests are joined with—they are joined with thanksgiving. There is a kind of attitude in anxious prayer that can be desperate and demanding, but not thankful. And so the Apostle Paul does say to lay it all out, but you are first to humble yourselves and to approach the Lord your God with gratitude, remembering His good gifts in your life. And when you do this, you will find that that practice alone, of reminding yourself of what you are thankful for, will do wonders for the state of your heart.
Now, for those of you who have had great anxiety, or are feeling it right now in life, you might say – well, easier said than done. You are not unfamiliar with this passage and those like it. But try as you might, you are simply anxious. And I want to say this morning, I understand what you mean.
It is true that when dealing with the sin and affliction of anxiety, we in the church can turn great passages that speak directly to this issue into trite and simplistic answers. We hear someone confess to being anxious or worried, and we say, “Well, the Bible says to pray and don’t be anxious. So don’t do that.”
True enough.
But that all on its own often does not help. In fact, it can cause even more anxiety… You are now anxious because you’re anxious and know that you should not be anxious! The problem here is that this is only half of what is said. It is a true command – do not be anxious and turn to the Lord in prayer – but it is missing the promise. When we divorce the command from the full context, we actually miss the gospel heartbeat of these many passages, the great comfort actually offered in them to those suffering and in sin.
So, for example, 1 Peter 5:6–7 reads, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
So you are to cast all your cares upon Him. You are to give them to God. That’s right and good. But there’s more than just that line here that equips you to fight anxiety.
First, you are told to humble yourselves. And the reason for this is that many times anxiety is actually a symptom of pride. You think you are the one in control, and so you’re frantically trying to hold tight and to steer the ship through troubled waters. It’s all up to you. And so addressing this pride, Peter says humble yourselves. How? By casting all your cares upon Him. By giving it all over to the Lord. And in doing so, you acknowledge that He actually is the one in control, and therefore you are free to let go of your worries and fears.
But why can you cast your cares upon Him? Here is the beautiful promise and grounding of that command: for He cares for you. The Lord cares for you. He loves you. He is concerned for your well-being more than you could ever be. And His mighty hand controls both the ship and the troubled waters. In humility, you must let go. And in His due time, He promises to lift you up.
Do you see how much richer this is compared to a pat answer? Do you see how much more there is here than just a command to anxious saints to “stop it”?
And so we can see this very thing here in Philippians 4. There is a great promise here as well. The Apostle Paul says you are to be anxious for nothing, and in prayer with thanksgiving, present your needs to God, “…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (v. 7). The promise here is that when you turn to the Lord in your distress and in your anxiety, He will grant you His peace, and that peace will guard your hearts and minds.
But one way you may be tempted to misunderstand this passage is this. You know that you are not to be fearful and anxious. And so, in an effort to be courageous, you grit your teeth and try as hard as possible to strengthen your own heart and mind in order to protect the peace of God. You try to shield it from your worries and anxieties. It’s as if the peace of God were a small, flickering candle in your heart. And you’re trying to hold your hands around it while the winds of anxiety whirl all around, desperately trying to keep it lit.
But that is not what the Apostle Paul teaches here. He says that it is the the peace of God which guards your hearts and minds. God Himself promises to grant you that protection; it’s not something you desperately muster up inside of yourselves, but a guard you receive from the Lord.
Making this point, Pastor Doug once wrote, “Do not try to have your heart and mind protect the peace of God. That is like using your head to protect your helmet. The peace of God is the armor, not the thing that needs to be protected.” And so again, the wonderful promise here is that when you take all of your anxieties and cares to the Lord in prayer, He promises to grant you His peace which is beyond all understanding.
Wise Meditation
The second tool in our passage this morning to help you fight anxiety is that of meditation.
We see this in verses 8–9, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Now the word “meditation” for some of you might bring to mind sitting in some weird Zen position, emptying your minds of all things. But that is not what we’re talking about here.
There is such a thing as the Christian practice of meditation, and in fact, there is a rich tradition of meditation in the Reformed and Puritan tradition. And it does not require the emptying of your minds, but rather the filling of it with goodness, truth, and beauty. In fact, if you look at these verses again, it is the exact opposite of emptying. Rather, the Apostle Paul is telling you to meditate on and contemplate what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy.
Now, before we move forward and consider where we find such wonderful things, I want to point out something rather obvious, but unfortunately not well observed in the church. Here in this passage we have a positive principle—meditate on these good things. And so we can also see the corresponding negative principle—do not meditate on bad things. So you can take each of these virtues and list its opposite to see what you are to avoid. You could say, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are false, whatever things are dishonorable, whatever things are unjust, whatever things are impure, whatever things are ugly, whatever things are of bad report, whatever things are wicked, and whatever things are worthy of shame—do not meditate on these things.”
A question to ask yourselves this morning is this: What are you meditating on throughout the day? What are you dwelling on? What thoughts do you keep on loop And not only that, what are you regularly taking in? What are you absorbing?
If you are on social media, what exactly are you scrolling through? What are you meditating upon as you stare at that endless screen? If you are a podcast or YouTube person, what is in your regular feed? And which list does it line up with? The one here in our passage from the Apostle Paul? Or the inverse that I just read? Is it good, true, and beautiful? Or evil, false, and ugly? Does it bring you closer to Christ, or farther away?
So often we turn to the distractions of our phones because in them we are looking for peace. We are trying to quiet the anxiety gnawing at our hearts, or looking for a quick fix, some momentary pleasure. But you must understand that you are becoming what you take in. And so it is no wonder many people are filled with anxiety and worry when they are daily swimming in a cesspool, that in the end, offers no help. ////
So do not meditate on worthless things, but fill your hearts and your homes with the truth. And the first place that you will find such things is, of course, the Word of God. Do you read it? Do you listen to it? Do you hide its word in your heart, as the Psalmist does? Can you say that you meditate upon it day and night?
If you are struggling with the sin of anxiety, one of the most important things you need is to replace those worried and unstable thoughts with the strong and stable promises found in God’s Word. You need to take in as much comforting truth as you can, so you are constantly reminded of God’s care for you. If you’ve been a Christian for more than five minutes, you know you ought to be reading Scripture. But if you have been struggling in this area, let this be a reminder and encouragement to get back in the Word. Whether that’s jumping in to the Bible Reading Challenge, or if that’s too much, just picking one book to slowly read and re-read… do not neglect the Word of God. Find ways not only to read or hear it daily, but to keep it front and center. Whether that’s through memorization or notecards on the windowsill – you need this – for it is the best resource that the Lord has gifted you.
Now, while I believe the Bible contains all that the Apostle Paul is encouraging you to meditate upon in this passage, I don’t believe this call to meditation is limited to that.
To meditate is to think, to ponder, to consider, to dwell upon something. And there are many gifts from God in this world that are worthy of meditation—that you can pause and consider, tracing them back to the gracious Giver. You can actually see this kind of meditation as a tool against anxiety in Jesus’ teaching on this topic in Luke 12:22–32.
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?’”
Do you see what Jesus is doing here?
He tells you to consider the ravens, to meditate upon them, and then describes how they instruct you in the Father’s provision. The same with the lilies—ponder them. Look at how beautiful they are. And know that if the Lord does such a thing for that which withers and dies in a field, how much more will He clothe and care for you?
And so you can do this with all of God’s good gifts in your life.
When you are filled with anxious thoughts and worries—whether they are regarding very real situations or are seemingly baseless—you need to fight to open your eyes and see with the eyes of faith what is all around you. You need to fill your heart and mind with good things, and consider what they say about the God who loves you.
The next time you hold your child’s hand as you cross the street, see the Father’s concern and protection for you as His child. When you are on the floor laughing and playing with your children, catch a glimpse of the Father’s delight in you. When you go on a walk and the sun warms your skin, feel the bright warmth of His love for you. When you take a bite to eat of some good dessert or listen to a beautiful song or stand beneath a star-filled sky—receive them as reminders of the goodness of God, even in a world that is filled with troubles. So the second God-given tool you have to fight anxiety and worry, is that of meditation. You are to meditate upon the truth, and see the Lord’s kindness in it all.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want you to consider this: that the Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect embodiment of those virtues that the Apostle Paul listed.
Look again at verse 8, and hear this:
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
He is the noble one, worthy of all honor.
He is the true righteous and just one.
He is the pure and spotless Lamb that was slain.
He is altogether lovely.
He is the only one of good report, praiseworthy, and good.
He is worthy of all contemplation and meditation, both in His person and in His work. And not only that, but He is Immanuel, “God with us.” He is the peace of God which is promised to be with you. For if you are a Christian, then you are inseparably united to Christ. As the Apostle Paul proclaimed, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” The God you desire to love and obey is not a distant and cold God, but He is at hand. The Lord is near to you. He has come in the flesh, and although He has departed, you now have His Spirit within you.
Therefore, no matter what anxiety has filled your heart. No matter what worries keep you up at night. Even if your faith is faltering and weak, and you can barely mumble a prayer. You must never forget that the Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth. He truly promises you perfect peace that can only come from Him. He promises you eternal joy. Your God promises you the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.