Cross Connection Service 3/22/20

Hey, Cross Connection Church! Welcome to Church at Home. Of course, we cannot gather here at our facility at the moment, but we still have the ability to worship together and study through the Word in this way. We are grateful that you would tune in with us.

Make sure, if you have any prayer requests or questions today, you can chat with us on the chat screen over on the side. We'll have some hosts there to interact with you. God bless you as you worship with us. We're glad that we could join together with one another.

Father God, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the truth in Your Word. We thank You for the victory in our lives and the hope of a future in You, Lord Jesus. We just ask that You would bless our time in worship. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The weapon made before us will not prosper. When darkness falls, You won't create it, because the God I serve knows only how to triumph. Oh my God, I’m going to see You. There’s power in this story.

This story, I'm going to speed through. I'm going to see the victory. You take what the enemy meant for evil and you turn it for good. Yes, you do. You take what the enemy meant for evil and you turn it for good.

I'm going to see your victory, for the battle belongs to You, Lord. I'm going to see a victory for the battle belongs to You.

Hey, Cross Connection Church! Thanks for joining us live this weekend. We're glad that you could be with us. I know it's a little bit different, but we are going to survive this together. We look forward to you joining us here at Cross Connection Church, where we're all about living life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus Christ.

Now, usually on Sunday morning, you'll see me or someone else during announcements pointing out this prayer card.

We still think prayer is incredibly important, and especially now, we would like to be praying with and for you during this time. Although you cannot give us a prayer card physically this week, as we're doing everything online, we would like to invite you to check out prayer at LifeInConnection.com, where you can submit your prayer requests. We, as your pastors and prayer team, can still receive those and pray proactively with and for you this week. So go ahead and check that out; we'd love to be praying with you.

Some other ways to connect include joining us on our weekly emails. Pastor Miles likes to send out a weekly email to the church, updating you on what's going on, what's new with the coronavirus, the current government restrictions on meeting, and providing some encouragement for you personally. He would love for you to sign up, so you can go ahead and subscribe on our website.

Another way for you to connect would be through our YouTube channel. This is especially important right now, as our YouTube channel will have all of our live messages, plus our pre-recorded and older messages. You can go on and check those out, watch some of the messages, and be encouraged by the Word of God.

We would also like you to check out the Questions Podcast. Pastor Miles and Mark do this podcast every week. I'm sure during this time, you may have had some big questions come up, such as, "Where is God in all of this?" or "What's going on in the world?" They would love to answer your questions on QuestionsPodcast.com, so check that out. There's a link here for you, and you can also text in your questions to 276-081-41223.

Next, we invite you to join us live at LifeInConnection on our weekly weekend services, still at the same time: 9 o'clock on Sunday mornings. We would like you to check us out live on YouTube and our website.

A couple of ways to get plugged in during this pandemic would be through opportunities to serve those who are in need. There are some of you who cannot get out of the house because of health reasons or transportation difficulties. We would like to invite you to check out our website, where we have a resource for you: HelpOut@LifeInConnection.com. You can submit your request for help, and we, as the church, would love to come and fill that need, whether it's going to the pharmacy or grocery store to pick up what you need over the next couple of weeks.

We have people who are willing to serve you and would love to connect with you that way. If you would like to help with this, you can go ahead and sign up at Help@LifeInConnection.com.

Now, we've got a couple of videos for you.

Friend of ours, Alyssa, is going to be keeping you updated on what's going on and some ways to stay sane through this pandemic.

Hello, Cross Connection! Pastor Jason here. I am with our dear friend of the ministry, Alyssa Cruse Lochner. She won't tell you, but I'll tell you she is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, therapists walking the face of the planet right now. We're here to talk a little bit about parenting during this coronavirus, COVID-19, or whatever you want to call it. How do I deal with my kids and get through this? How can I use this God-given break as a way to grow as a family? Tall order, oh my best!

Okay, so there are a few groups here. If you're sick, stay home. We love you. Let us know that you're sick and let your community know that you're sick. Stay home; we don't want to see you outside. If you're self-quarantining because you've been exposed to the virus, stay home. We love you again, and we will help reach out to your community, friends, and family to drop stuff off at your door.

For the rest of us who are healthy and well and are at home trying to work and take care of kids because schools are canceled, this is mostly for you guys. But also, if you are a couple, a retired couple, or you live alone or have a roommate, this information is for you too. Dealing with the anxiety of this change is a massive shift, so it's like a surprise. This basically works for everybody. Pick and choose what you need.

The biggest thing I would say to reduce anxiety is just to talk about it. Germs happen; viruses happen. This is not new; this is not something that we've never seen in the history of the world. For kids, they need something tangible. So, watch those games, use hand sanitizer, and get into the routine of washing hands when we come in the house. You know, don’t touch our faces—things like that. But you're teaching your kids anyway.

I don't know about you, but I'm teaching my five-year-old son to keep his hands out of his mouth. It's been reduced to just "hands," because they're always headed toward his mouth. So, for your family, just getting into the routine is essential.

Watching your hands is the best thing you can do, and it's important to stop watching the news. The news isn't providing new information; you can check it once in a while, but kids shouldn't be exposed to it too much. The biggest takeaway for them is to wash their hands. People are getting sick, so reduce their anxiety by limiting their intake of news.

Congratulations! You're going to have to create a routine. To reduce anxiety, kids need stability; they need to know what's happening. I like using official representations for what's going on, so I put schedules on the fridge. For example, I have a little schedule that was made before the coronavirus crisis. It doesn't include things like school, but you can create yours with school and any projects that your family comes up with.

I also recommend that you come up with projects as a family to insert into your schedules. Choose something significant, like painting the house—either the inside or the outside—or spring cleaning and decluttering your home. Don't forget about the garage, which we all have full of things. You can also vacuum the cars and detail them. These family projects can be a great way to spend time together.

One parent can handle the project while the other works, and then you can switch off. It’s like tag-team wrestling; you need to work as a team. This scheduling is important for both little ones and adults. For instance, I have to make my bed, and then I eat breakfast.

Part of eating breakfast is cleanup. Moms and dads, you can't do all the cleanup; the kids need to help too. Even for older kids, have them take charge of making breakfast. Let the teenagers be responsible for lunch or dinner. Encourage them to figure out how to make a pot roast or something similar. This is an opportunity for teaching, and everyone participating in the meal can foster togetherness and provide a great learning experience. You can even teach older kids about cooking temperatures and the degrees that meats need to reach.

There are a lot of things that children can learn, and by the end of it, hopefully, they'll be able to cook and not struggle when they go to college. It's a bonus if they can read books as well. Putting aside time for school and learning is important. Learning can be as simple as walking out in the rain, collecting bugs, looking up what those bugs are, and collecting earthworms to put in your garden. You can learn a lot of tangible things, whatever the subject may be.

It's also essential to establish routines. For example, putting away toys, taking a bath, and putting on pajamas can be part of a nightly routine. I like this idea because it can work for anyone; however, you'll need to customize it for your family. I find that using visual schedules and putting them on the fridge or a wall can be helpful. Kids can label when they've completed tasks, so you don't even have to remind them. They will know what needs to be done by following the list on the wall.

If I'm understanding this correctly, we have a schedule, and everything is laid out so we can get things done. But I'm also showing them that we have stability. We are continuing on, keeping calm, and carrying on. When everything feels completely out of control, we still have control over our lives. For instance, making your bed is something you can control. You also want to ensure that they don't develop fears of food scarcity. A lot of the news focuses on scarcity, like whether there is enough toilet paper or beans. Whoever is hoarding the beans needs to stop! I went to the store to get beans, and they were gone. People need to take only what they need, and if they have extra, they should share.

As a family, it's important to reach out to your neighbors. Send little cards saying, "Hey, if there's anything you need, we're here for you," and leave your phone number. This is an opportunity to show the love of Christ through practical means.

Does any of this change as the kids get older? If I'm dealing with teenagers as opposed to toddlers, what would be some differences in that situation? Teenagers are going to need a lot of social time. The little ones need social time too, but they usually get that by running around with siblings if they have them, doing crafts, and engaging in experiments.

Pretty content teens are going to need an opportunity to speak with their peers. We have beautiful technology; we can use FaceTime or Google Chat with multiple people. I was talking to someone today who was doing a board game collectively, and tomorrow they have a potluck planned. They are in college, so they are well dispersed across the nation. Everyone is choosing food, and they are eating their meals individually but together at the same time while socializing.

A certain amount of this time is all right. Put it on the schedule and just say, "Hey, we're going to have two hours or one hour of screen time." During this time, you can talk with your friends. You can also use this as an opportunity to take a break. It’s okay to relax a little because this is not easy. You have to work in some break time for yourself too. It’s a great time to get creative, like making something out of toilet paper rolls or doing something else.

What if I'm dealing with a child, or one of my children, who seems to be really freaking out about it? Someone who looks like their eyes are getting really big and blown out, as if it’s the end of the world? I would say, as I do in sessions, "What's happening right now?" Usually, the answer is, "I'm home, I'm safe in my space at home, and I'm breathing. I have food; there’s food in the pantry." So, what's happening right now is that I'm just having anxiety about it. I'm just having feelings about it.

What is it that I'm scared of? It’s important to have them verbalize what exactly they are scared about. They could be worried that they don’t have enough toilet paper or enough food. Ask them to label those emotions. Say, "Okay, I'm scared, or I'm lonely, or I'm upset." If they are really freaked out, take a moment to find out why.

This approach is fantastic and applies to adults too, not just kids. Adults should also take a moment to acknowledge their feelings. It’s okay to not like this situation; it’s uncomfortable and weird. You can’t just sit with it.

In restaurants and doing things like that, there are other activities we can engage in and should be doing. For all of those who said, "Oh my gosh, three weeks ago I just needed a week to myself at home," introverts rejoice; it's your moment in the sun!

And that's the other part: get in the sun! Go outside. You are not confined to your home unless you fall into certain categories. So, go for a walk, go for a nature walk, or go for a hike. You can do these things; you are not at risk. Don't think of it as being snowed in. This is not a snow day!

Find somewhere to walk. Plus, it lets the kids work some of the wiggles out, which is always good. Let's also think about gratitude. We should be grateful to God for what we do have, which is a lot. My mom brought up that this situation is way better than the fires. Californians know what it was like being out of our homes. Now, we are in our homes with all the creature comforts. We're okay, so just relax, eat that chocolate cake, and walk it off later.

It's almost like the old song: we should count our many blessings. I don't remember the tune, but I'm sure it's available on Spotify or YouTube or anywhere else.

There are tons of resources online. I know your schools are sending packets and things like that, but there are also virtual tours of famous museums around the world, like the Uffizi and the Getty. There are many cool learning opportunities available online. If you want to learn an instrument, now's your time! Get on YouTube and explore.

We love you guys! Feel free to reach out to us if you need anything. God bless you all, and have a great day!

Hey everyone, we're going to be doing a hike in San Diego on March 21st. It's called the Seven Bridges of San Diego, and it's a great urban walk through some of San Diego's nicest neighborhoods. It's open to the whole family.

Check out our website for more details and to sign up. I hope to see you there every week. When we gather together here at Cross Connection, we like to share with you some of the things that you, as the church, are involved with on mission here in our community and around the world.

One of those things is our chaplains. Myself and Pastor Garrett have the privilege of serving right here in Escondido. I work with the Escondido Fire Department as a chaplain and also with the Office of Emergency Services for San Diego County. Garrett works with the Escondido Police Department. I would ask you to be praying for the first responders in our community right now, especially during this season, as they're on the front lines dealing with all of the virus-related issues. Please be in prayer for the Escondido Police Department and for the Escondido Fire Department during this period of time.

Good morning, Cross Connection. I’m Pastor Mark, the executive pastor here at Cross Connection Church. As we normally do on a Sunday, we're going to worship the Lord with our giving here in a moment. However, there are a few subtle nuances and a couple of things I'd like to talk to you about before that.

First, we want you to know that we've always been thankful. We are super thankful for the very clear, obedient, and faithful giving of you here at the church. It is not just a demonstration of your faithfulness to the Lord, but also to us as a staff. Your engagement in the unique mission of Cross Connection has really encouraged us, and we thank you for that.

We also want you to know that in light of everything that is going on in the world, much of which is financial, people are going through some very real crises. We, as an organization, are making some very real budget adjustments. We are doing this in light of the fact that we have some very real commitments, not only to our day-to-day operations with our staff but also around the world. Many of the missions that you see in our "On Mission" segment every week during our announcements are funded by this church and by your faithful giving.

For those of you who are new to the church, we are so thankful that God is continuing to add to the church, especially in this last year.

It is really a blessing and an encouragement to see so many of you here. However, I know that some of you, as you're deciding to make this your home church, have not financially engaged quite yet. We think this would be a great time to do so. If you have decided that this is where you're going to be, it would be a blessing if you would go ahead and contribute.

We have some very easy ways for you to give. If you go to our church website, lifeinconnection.com, you will find a menu that will walk you through how to give digitally or electronically. There are a few different options available. If you prefer to write paper checks, that is totally fine as well. We ask that you simply put your check in the mail and send it to 1675 Seven Oaks Road, Escondido, CA 92026. We will receive it through the mail.

Lastly, if you would like to drop off your contribution in person, you can do that at the office or put it through the mail slot, and we would be able to receive it. We would be thankful for your support.

We also understand that some of you may be unable to give due to financial hardships. We would really like to pray for you and walk through this with you. If you need prayer for a financial situation or anything else, you can access our website, email us, or give us a good old-fashioned phone call. We would even be happy to meet with you face-to-face. We would love to pray for you.

Thank you so much. God bless you, and see you soon.

My life, Your glory is so good. You're so good because You're so beautiful. I beat of my life stewardship in Your way, cause You're going to be so beautiful.

Jesus, we glow. Yeah, You. Jesus. Oh.

Jesus, you are good. I think you would probably agree this morning that we are living in unprecedented times, what is really a historic period. The circumstances that we are in the midst of, not just as a nation but as the world, are truly bizarre.

As I shared last week, it sometimes feels like we are living in the midst of a movie, which is really fascinating. At the end of 2019, I had the strong impression that 2020 was going to be a year of chaos. Primarily, I was thinking about that because of all the things happening in our nation politically, especially with this being a campaign season. I certainly was not expecting all of the things that have been happening over the last several weeks here in our nation and in the world.

It truly is pretty chaotic. As we come to the Scriptures today, there are a number of things that I think the Lord wants to minister to us and share with us from His Word. Before we get into the Scriptures, I have a few different places in the Scriptures that I'd like for us to go to today.

I've been confronted, if you will, with a question a number of times this last week by both people in our church and other pastors that I've been talking with. The question is pretty simple: How should we respond as Christians to everything that we see going on in the world? I've been thinking a lot about that question over the last several days, and I think there are three important things for us to consider in answering it.

First off, I think that we should respond, as much as we possibly can, with wisdom. I know I keep hearing a lot of people say things like, "Out of the abundance of caution, we're going to do ABC." I think that's all well and good, but I really believe that we should try to decide what we're doing out of the abundance of wisdom. We should be seeking wisdom from the Scriptures as to how we Christians should consider these things that we are going through.

This is even really important in the text of Scripture that we have been in over the last several weeks here at Cross Connection Church. We spent quite a while in Deuteronomy chapter 1, talking about the importance of having leaders who are wise, knowledgeable, and understanding. So, when we're confronted with all of the things that are going on, we want to try and respond with wisdom.

This is why we are doing things the way we're doing them this weekend. Instead of having our services gathered here at the church, we are doing them online. I am really grateful that we have the ability to gather in this way online. Out of wisdom, I think this is the wise thing for us to do in the face of all the stuff that is going on, especially because of the recommendations we are receiving from the medical community. They keep saying to flatten the curve and to slow the rate of this virus spreading.

We are trying to make sure that we observe this whole thing of social distancing. For a Christian, and especially for a church where our mission and vision at Cross Connection Church is our life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus, it feels a little bit weird to be talking about social distancing. However, to help those in the medical community respond to this in the best way and to assist those who truly are sick with this virus, it is the wise thing to do for us.

Gather in this way until otherwise announced. I guess this is how we will be gathering for church. We are grateful that even though we are not together in the same space, we can be one in Christ and unified in this way. We are trusting God for wisdom. He gave us minds to think about things rationally, and hopefully that is what we are doing. Although it does seem like there is an awful lot of irrationality in our culture, I keep getting text messages and pictures from people showing empty toilet paper shelves at stores or long lines going out the door before Costco even opens early in the morning. It is a crazy period of time.

We want to make sure that we are trying to respond with wisdom. That is the first way we will respond to these things. Secondly, we will respond to the circumstances as they arise. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to try and think things out weeks or months in advance. However, in a situation like this, where everything is changing constantly, that is just not really possible. So, we will respond as things arise.

I shared a story last week, if you were tuned in with us, from a book called "The Woodcutter's Wisdom" by Max Lucado. In this story, there is a woodcutter whose horse runs away, and he keeps responding with, "All I know is this." Right now, we are kind of responding to just the things that we know. We can only see what is right in front of us.

I think the Apostle James, 2,000 years ago, gave some wise counsel in the book of James. In James chapter 4, verse 13, he says, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and we will spend a year there and buy and sell and make a profit,' whereas you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." Instead, you ought to say, as James chapter 4, verse 15 states, "If the Lord wills, we shall live or do this or that."

This is one of those times where, for the planners who are tuned in like myself, it is very hard to plan what is going to happen in the next week or month. We kind of just have to say, "Lord, whatever you will in this situation." So, we want to respond with wisdom, and we want to respond to situations as they arise.

The third thing that I've been thinking about in answering the question of how we should respond to all this is that we are going to seek to continue to trust the Lord and to learn to trust the Lord in this situation. In examining my own heart this last week, I realize that I have a lot to learn as it relates to trusting in the Lord.

There is a very important passage of Scripture in Proverbs chapter 3, where Solomon says, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path." I have a lot to learn about trusting in the Lord. We will always experience challenges in life; it is a given. As we go through these challenges, we need to recognize that the Lord wants us to learn to trust in Him, rely upon Him, and continue to walk with Him through these things.

So how are we going to respond to one another in this situation? I think that we are going to continue to do what the church has done for many centuries. We will continue to pray for one another, comfort one another, support one another, and bear one another's burdens. Throughout the Scriptures, we have the "one another" passages, and we can learn an awful lot during this period of time about how to be Christ-like, how to bear one another's burdens, and how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.

This is a great opportunity for us to learn some new lessons about being Christians, about being Christ-like, and about trusting in Jesus. I think that part of learning those lessons may require, especially as we've all been placed in this weird Sabbath sort of pause in our culture, to spend some time with the Lord privately. We can ask the Lord, "Is there something that You want to teach me through this situation? Is there something You want me to learn?"

We can come through this on the other side having learned. Maybe God wants to teach you and me to slow down a little bit. We live in a very busy culture where we feel the need to constantly be busy, but right now we are being forced to not be busy, which can be really challenging for me, and I'm sure it is for some of you as well. Perhaps the Lord wants to help us disconnect—from some of the technology, from social media, or maybe from the news.

For many years, I have shared with people the importance of taking a little bit of a Sabbath or going on a fast, if you will, from the news. The news can be so distressing and discouraging, and right now, that is especially the case. We are constantly being bombarded by text messages and voicemails coming from the government. I got a call today from the government, and instantly, I was logged on to a conference call. There are all kinds of things going on; we are just being bombarded by it all the time.

So, maybe this is a great opportunity to disconnect from social media and the news. Perhaps God wants us to learn a little bit more about trusting in Him, hoping in Him, and relying upon Him more than trusting in our job, our bank account, the government, or our investments. This would be a good time to ask the Lord, "Are you trying to teach me something in this?" It is also a good time to ask the Lord, "Is there something that you want me to do during this period of time?" Maybe there is something that God is calling you to do, such as spending more time in His Word, spending more time in prayer, or reaching out to some friends over text messages or giving them a call just to see how they are doing.

There are a lot of different things that we can do during this period of time. What I want to do with the time we have this morning is to take a look at several passages of Scripture that I think will be helpful in encouraging us to think about how we should be framing everything that is going on.

The first passage of Scripture is found in the Gospel of John. You may know that Cross-Connection Church is not really like a traditional liturgical church. I did grow up going to a more liturgical church, a church that followed an annual reading passage through the Scriptures. For the more traditional churches, this is the period of Lent right now, and we don't talk about that so much at Cross-Connection Church. However, during this period of time, there are weekly readings.

This week's weekly reading for the liturgy, being the fourth Sunday of Lent, is from the Gospel of John. The Gospel reading for this week is from John chapter 9. As I was looking at that passage this week, chapter 9, verse 1 says this: "Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth." His disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?"

Born blind, and Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." Now, I know because I've heard it myself, and maybe you've come across this as well. There are some people in our culture right now who are saying this virus is the judgment of God because of our sin. The fact is, humanity has been sinful for a very long time, all the way since Genesis chapter 3. We live in a broken and fallen world that is broken because of sin. As a result, there is death, sickness, and viruses; all this sort of stuff exists because we live in a broken world.

However, what is happening in the world right now is not because there is any more new sin than there was ten years ago or a hundred years ago. It is just the manifestation of a broken world. Therefore, I think it's the wrong thing to say that this is the judgment of God. I don't necessarily think that is the case, but I do believe that in the midst of this, God wants to work. His disciples asked Him in John chapter 9, verse 2, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" They thought that bad things happened to people because of their own personal sin. Jesus says, "No, that's not what's taking place in this situation. Actually, this is an opportunity for God to reveal His works."

I kind of wonder, in the midst of this, what does God want to do? I am absolutely convinced that He wants to do great things. There are a lot of people in our culture who are far from God and who need the forgiveness, grace, peace, joy, and salvation that comes only in Jesus Christ. This event that is going on right now is causing many people to think a little bit more about their place with God than they did a month or two ago or a year ago.

When the things that we trust in are shaken—many people trust in their job, their bank account, or their government—when those things are shaken, it puts us in a place of really having to look for something that has real strength, security, and foundation. This is truly an opportunity for us to reach out to family members, friends, coworkers, or neighbors who might be far from God and who might be very fearful and anxious in this whole situation. We can share something of the Lord with them.

I believe God wants to do a work in us during this time, and I think He wants to do a work through us, through His church, during this period. So, in John chapter 9, we see this unfolding.

This is a really interesting passage of Scripture. Those words of Jesus in response to His disciples, when they asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" are profound. Jesus says, "No, but that the works of God would be revealed in him." That's why this has happened.

The second passage of Scripture comes from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah chapter 26. Isaiah 26 is intriguing because it follows the prophet Isaiah's prediction of a calamity that is going to come upon the entire world, as seen in Isaiah chapters 24 and 25. These chapters depict a global catastrophe, and we are living in the midst of something that feels somewhat global and catastrophic in various ways. Therefore, Isaiah 24 and 25 have some application to what is happening in the world today.

In the midst of all of this, we read these words in Isaiah 26:3. The prophet recognizes a really important truth that I have been returning to frequently over the last couple of weeks. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him, God, in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because that person trusts in You."

Isaiah makes an application in the next verse, stating, "So trust in the Lord, for in the Lord is everlasting strength." As I mentioned just a few minutes ago, when people are going through tumultuous situations, they try to find something substantial. They seek a footing that they can truly hold on to, and there is no better Rock than the one we trust in: Jesus Christ.

The prophet says, "You will keep him in perfect peace." The words "perfect peace" in the original Hebrew are "Shalom, Shalom." In ancient Hebrew, the way to emphasize something was to repeat it. So, the prophet declares that God will keep you in Shalom, Shalom, as your mind is stayed upon the Lord and as you trust in Him.

I want to encourage you to consider committing Isaiah 26:3 to memory during this period of time and spend some time reflecting on it.

God, You will keep me in perfect peace as my mind has stayed on You, as I trust in You. I trust in the Lord, for in the Lord is everlasting strength.

So, John chapter 9 and Isaiah chapter 26 are important passages. The final passage that I want to spend a few minutes on today is found in Philippians chapter 4, verses 4 through 9. If you have your Bible, you can open there with me, or if you're watching on our live feed at Live Life and Connection dot com, over on this side of the screen, my left and your right, there's a chat window and a section for the Bible where you can open up the Scriptures.

Philippians chapter 4 has been a passage I keep coming back to frequently over the last few weeks. As I've interacted with people and spent time by myself reflecting on the Scriptures, this passage has come up in conversations as well.

Beginning in verse 4, the Apostle Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 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. 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 have learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

Before we get into this passage, would you bow in prayer with me for just a moment? Lord, I do pray that You would center our focus upon You and Your Word in the remaining time that we have this morning. As we consider that passage from Isaiah, that You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. I know that right now our faith, our confidence, and our trust in You are being challenged by all the things that are going on. We find ourselves in a place where we are a little bit anxious, a little bit worried, and a little bit on edge. We so desire Your perfect peace, and so I pray, God, that...

You, by Your Holy Spirit, would give just an extra measure of that perfect peace to us in the midst of challenging circumstances. We read in the book of Galatians, chapter 5, that one of the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace. God, I pray that You would speak Your peace over Your church and that You would give us Your peace during this period of time. Speak to us through this passage of Scripture in Philippians, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Philippians chapter 4, verses 4 through 9, is a passage of Scripture that I have been going back to quite a bit during this period of time. It is a passage that I have shared with literally hundreds of people over the years when I am praying with them or sitting down to talk with them about some of the challenging things they are going through. They often find themselves in the midst of trials, and in this passage, there are a number of things that stand out to me—four points that I think are really important for us to consider together today.

The first one is this: this passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances. When Paul says in Philippians chapter 4, verse 4, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice," this is the second time in the book of Philippians where he gives this kind of theme. If you just go one page to the left in Philippians chapter 3, verse 1, there Paul says, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." So, there’s that exhortation again: rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but it is safe.

This truth that Paul gives to the Philippian church is so important. He wraps up his letter by saying it two more times here in Philippians chapter 4, verse 4: "Rejoice in the Lord; again I say rejoice." The words used there in Philippians 4:4, "rejoice," are a command. Paul is commanding the Christians in the city of Philippi to rejoice. This is not optional; this is a command. Since it is a command, I believe that it is possible to rejoice even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

The author of this letter, the Apostle Paul, when he was writing this letter, was not in some sort of joy-producing or joy-inducing situation.

The Testament that we refer to as Paul's prison letters or his prison epistles was written while Paul was in prison in the city of Rome. He was awaiting a trial, and after that trial concluded, he realized he would not be getting out of prison; he was actually going to be executed. So, he was in a pretty dire situation when he wrote this letter.

He addressed the Christians in Philippi, who were also going through challenging times, and he commanded them to rejoice. Even in pressing circumstances, Paul could give this exhortation because he had learned a very important lesson, which we find in this exact same chapter, Philippians chapter 4. If we skip down a few verses to verse 11, Paul says, "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Even in the midst of trying circumstances, Paul emphasizes that he can do all things through Him who gives him strength. In verse 12 of Philippians chapter 4, another version of the English Bible states, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

We can rejoice even in difficult circumstances, but our rejoicing is not found in the circumstances themselves. We are not rejoicing in the coronavirus, in people losing their jobs, or in all the things that are going on around us. Instead, we rejoice in the Lord. The place where we find our joy and rejoicing is in the Lord, which is why it is so important to spend time with Him in prayer, in His Word, and in worship. There, we find our joy and rejoicing kindled, enabling us to fulfill this command to rejoice in the Lord.

The first point is that this passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances. Secondly, this passage exhorts our steadiness. Paul encourages that our steadiness be evident to all. I believe this is derived from verse 5, where Paul says, "Let your gentleness be known."

To all men, the Lord is at hand. If you're one that takes notes in your Bible or you have your Bible open right now, you might want to circle that word "gentleness." This word is kind of a challenging term for English translators of the Bible. There are all kinds of different Bible versions; maybe you're not reading from the same version that I am. I have the New King James Version here this morning. Perhaps you're reading through the NIV, the English Standard Version, or the Christian Standard Bible. You'll notice that the word "gentleness" is translated differently in pretty much every English Bible. In some translations, it's "reasonableness," in others, it's "gentleness," and in some, it's "graciousness." There are a whole bunch of different ways that this word is translated.

What this clues us into is that the translators who worked on these English versions of the Bible had a hard time with this word. How should it be translated? In my study of this passage, I think that one of the better ways to translate it is to read, "Let your gentleness be known to all men," as "have a reputation of steadiness."

So, a simple question: Do you have a reputation of steadiness in the midst of trials and difficulties? Or do outside circumstances affect you in a way that tosses you around? One of the dangers is that we can be those people who are tossed around very easily by the things that happen in this world. Paul says, "I want you to have a reputation for steadiness."

One of my prayers for you, as I've been praying for our church in the midst of this trial, is that God may grant to you and me that we would be steady in the storm. We need strong ballast, if you will, a strong keel in the water as we go through the challenges.

This passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances. It exhorts that our steadiness be evident to all people. Point number three on your outline: this passage commands our peace by persistent prayer. Look at verses six and seven; they are pretty famous verses. They find their way onto bookmarks and greeting cards, and they really are a blessing. Paul says, "Be anxious for nothing."

It is a very simple command, but it is very hard to fulfill: do not worry about anything. Every single one of us breaks this command on a regular basis. However, I am absolutely convinced that God enables us to fulfill the very things that He commands. He does not give us commands in Scripture that are impossible for us to fulfill. The only way for us to fulfill those commands is to do what He prescribes in the passage.

In this context, we have the command to be at peace and the command to not be anxious. Then, He provides us with the information about how we can fulfill this. Philippians 4:6 states, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." The result? The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus.

Anxiety, worry, and distress happen in our minds and hearts. Paul here assures us that we can live at peace and without anxiety by following the steps given in this passage. He instructs us to be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known to God. When Paul mentions prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, he is referring to different forms of prayer. It is as if he is saying, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray, pray, pray, pray."

As we do this, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The key to peace in the midst of any trial we might face is prayer. Now, that might seem really simplistic to you. It may seem like I am just throwing out a quick little platitude, suggesting that we just need to pray. We have all heard Christians say that before when we are going through challenging circumstances, to the point that sometimes people almost get offended when we suggest, "Why don't we pray in the midst of this?"

However, the Scriptures teach this. They teach that prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, and making our requests to God—these different forms of prayer—bring the peace of God into our lives. These very things—prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, and bringing our requests to God—are essential.

Ways in which we set our mind upon the Lord are beautifully captured in Isaiah 26:3, which states, "He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him because he trusts in Him." This fulfills the exhortation of Paul in his letter to the Colossians, specifically Colossians 3:1, where he says, "Set your mind on things above."

As we set our minds on things above through prayer and thanksgiving, we reflect on all the things that God has done in the past and how He has met our needs. Supplication involves praying for His provision in the future. As we bring all of these things to the Lord, we experience God beginning to give us His perfect peace. His peace guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus, the very place where we deal with worry and anxiety.

This passage prescribes our rejoicing in all circumstances and exhorts us to have a steadiness that is evident to all people, regardless of the circumstances we face. It commands our peace through persistent prayer. Finally, this passage orders our attention to be fixed on those things that promote peace.

We have seen that through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, as we let our requests be made known to God, we receive the peace of God. We are directing our attention to the Lord. Now, Paul instructs us to set our attention and order our focus on things that will promote our peace.

In Philippians 4:8, Paul writes, "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 upon these things." We are encouraged to focus our attention on these aspects.

For many years, when the word "meditate" would come up in Christian circles, people would often feel a bit uneasy about it, as it would evoke thoughts of Eastern forms of meditation. Interestingly, in the last five to ten years, there has been a significant increase in our culture of people engaging in meditative practices, taking silence retreats, and using mindfulness applications on their cell phones. While some of these practices may have their merits, it is essential to meditate in the way that the Bible prescribes.

Often, people in our culture believe that to meditate means to remove everything from their minds and to not think about anything at all.

Losing myself in a meditative practice is not really what the Bible prescribes when it talks about meditation. Biblical meditation is about thinking deeply and focusing your attention on something. So, what exactly is biblical meditation? If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate because worry is a form of meditation.

Over the last ten days or so, many people have spent a lot of time in meditation, thinking about the coronavirus. They have been thinking deeply about it from every possible vantage point. How is it going to affect my family? How is it going to affect my business? How is it going to affect my 401(k) and my investments? How is it going to affect this culture? How is it going to affect toilet paper sales? All these different things have consumed our thoughts. Many people are completely absorbed with it, and it really captures our entire attention.

If you have worried about anything in your life or the coronavirus in the last ten days, then you have meditated. This meditation on the coronavirus can be distressing; it can destabilize your heart and mind. It can cause you to have a hard time sleeping and make you frustrated and impatient with other people. God wants to reorder our focus and attention so that we can experience more of His perfect peace. The way to do that is to start thinking more about those things that are lovely, true, noble, good, praiseworthy, and of good report.

Focusing your attention and really thinking about these things is essential. All of these qualities describe the nature of God. I guarantee you, based on what the Scriptures say, that if you fix your attention and meditate upon these things that are noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy, then you will experience the peace of God.

Not only will you experience the peace of God, but notice the last verse in this text, Philippians 4:9. The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me—the Philippian church had seen Paul do the very things he is talking about here. They had seen him pray and meditate upon the Scriptures. So, he says, "The things that you have learned from me..."

By example, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. We move from the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, to the God of peace. The more you get to know the peace of God by spending time with the Lord in meditation, the more you will draw near to the God of peace, and He will draw near to you.

At the very least, I hope that one of the outcomes of all the chaos happening from coronavirus in 2020 will be you and I drawing closer to the God of peace and experiencing His peace in a greater capacity. Here’s one of the awesome things: not only will that be good for you, your kids, and your other family members around you, but you experiencing and knowing the peace of God and drawing near to the God of peace will give you an opportunity to share the peace of God and the God of peace with other people. There are many people we know who don’t know God, and so they have very little ultimate eternal hope and peace in the midst of storms.

When their world comes apart, as the world has kind of been coming apart in this year so far in 2020, their entire psyche destabilizes, and they look for a place to find joy, peace, and hope. If you’re a Christian, we have all of those things in Christ Jesus. We have a huge evangelistic opportunity, Church, to share the peace of God and the God of peace with a culture that desperately needs Him. I would suggest to you that coronavirus is reminding people of how shallow and unstable things are in this life. They begin to look for something that has much more substance and foundation, and that is only found with God and His kingdom.

So I pray and hope that you would be encouraged by these things and that you would spend some time not meditating upon the news or all the information coming across on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Instead, I hope you would spend some time meditating upon the God of peace, and that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, would guard your heart during this time. Would you pray with me? Father, I do pray for us, Your people, for the Church of God, and I ask that You would do a work in us.

Where we would have a hunger and a thirst for spending time with You and Your Word, and You in prayer and worship. Even if we can't do that with other people within the body of Christ, we can do that with our families. I just pray, God, that during this period of time, You would draw us close to You, and that drawing near to You would really pay dividends in a huge way. We would experience exactly what the Scriptures say: that we will experience Your peace that surpasses understanding.

So, God, would You guard the hearts and minds of Your church as we walk through these challenging situations? Would You use Your church to be a light, like a city set on a hill that cannot be hid, to those who are walking through these challenges without hope and without peace from You?

So, God, do a work in Your church, we pray. We pray this in Jesus' name. And now may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and the love of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Well, I hope that you will continue to tune in with us here at Cross Connection Church. If you want updates about some of the things that are happening, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTubeConnection.com. You can continue to come back to this channel, Live.LifeInConnection.com, on Sundays beginning at 9:00 in the morning. We're going to continue to broadcast live here as long as we need to. Hopefully, we can gather together as a church soon. I hope that we can gather for Palm Sunday in just a couple of weeks and Easter in a few weeks. It's hard to believe that we're already there.

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God bless you. If you need prayer, make sure you send us an email to prayer@LifeInConnection.com. I know we've got a lot of different things that we're giving to you, but I hope that you will reach out to us so that we can be praying for you. God bless you.