Ep. 41 | Do what you know to do | Philippians

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Philippians 4:9. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Formed by the Word, a podcast where we don't just read the Bible, we invite it to shape our lives. In each episode, Pastor Eddie Blaylock will provide daily devotionals seeking to connect real scripture to real life. We'll be starting with the book of Philippians. This incredible letter clearly reveals how life in Christ shapes a resilient faith and a joy that is not dependent on circumstances. So wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, and let's be formed by the word together.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Today we're in Philippians chapter 4, verse number nine. With my wife's loving encouragement, I've been considering starting the process again to lose a little weight. There's really no need to research the latest dieting plan or trendy pattern to follow, and really no need to figure out what foods I can eat and which ones I need to leave out. There's no need to join a gym or buy a treadmill. The truth is I know how to lose weight. I've done it dozens of times before. I know the secret to losing weight. It's really not hard. It basically comes down to burning more calories than I take in. I know that. Unfortunately, just knowing what to do doesn't take off the pounds. I have to actually do it. Now there's the challenge, right? Not knowing what to do, but actually doing what I know to do. Well, the good news is that the challenge comes with a promise. If I will do what I know to do, the weight will come off. Slowly, but it will eventually. When the Apostle Paul decided to speak to the Philippians about living out their faith, his advice was simple. Do what you know to do. And that's it in a nutshell. It's not enough just to know what to do and why you must actually do it. The good news is you do it. His good news to them was that with a challenge came a promise. Today I want us to look together at Paul's challenge and his promise. Again, verse nine, we see first of all that the challenge that Paul offers to them is simple. Do what you know to do. Here's how he put it in verse nine. Do what you have learned and received and heard from me and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. What a powerful verse and plenty to unpack there. The Philippi had been taught what to do. They'd been taught sound doctrine and how to live that sound doctrine out daily. They had been taught solid orthodoxy and orthopraxy. So Paul listed four ways they had been informed in these. First, they had learned through solid teaching. Paul had been in Philippi teaching for a short time, but he had given them some solid foundational teaching. By the way, one of the best ways to learn is through listening to solid teaching. Paul was a teacher. In Colossians chapter one, he wrote this to his Colossian friends. He said, We proclaim him, that is Jesus. We proclaim Jesus, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. And then he wrote to young Timothy in his first letter to Timothy these words He said, Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. And then in his second letter to Timothy, he added this. He said in chapter 1, verse 13, Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. So they had learned, they had heard sound teaching. Secondly, Paul says, stand firm in what you have received. That is, they accepted the truth. You see, when we hear the teaching of God's word, we make a choice to reject it or to accept it. And of course, sometimes we remain neutral and put the teaching on something of a hold. And then finally, Paul says that they had seen, that is, through the example of Paul and others, they had seen the truth of the gospel. They had seen solid doctrine in the lives of others. And this reminds us that truth is not just taught, it needs to be modeled. Remember how our mentoring pattern started? The first step is I'll do it, you watch. Well, it's important to find someone to watch, someone who can provide a good example, a good role model for godly living. That's very, very important. So Paul is saying, now it's time to obey. It's time to do what they had been taught to do. We don't want to miss an important point here. Christian maturity is not just knowing more. It's not just gaining more information. It's not just hearing more. It's doing what you know to do. James, the brother of Jesus, reminded us of the same essential understanding. James wrote in his letter, chapter four, verse 17, so whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it for him, it is sin. He also commanded us to be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving our own selves. So ask yourself this question. What truth do I already know but haven't applied? You see, friends, peace doesn't come from knowing the truth. It comes from living the truth, from living in it. So Paul gives this challenge, a challenging challenge. Do what you know to do. But then he gives them a promise. He says, the promise is if you will do what you know to do, you can know the presence of God's peace. Look at the second part of that verse. It says, And the God of peace will be with you. Now note the connection here to verse 7. If you remember, verse 7 speaks of the peace of God. First, God gives us peace, peace with him. But here in verse 9, it speaks of the God of peace. After we experience the peace of God, we then can experience his presence more deeply, and his presence brings us real peace. This is not about God being absent or present. He's always present. It's about experiencing his presence relationally. It's about recognizing his majesty and sovereignty. Dr. Mac Brunson says, Joy and peace is knowing that God is sovereign over all and in control of all. When we come to realize that, my friends, we experience real peace, real joy. So right thinking plus right living equals a deeper experience of God's presence. When your life is aligned with God's will and word, your life becomes aware of God's presence and experiences God's peace. So my takeaway today is something that I hope you'll remember. You've heard, you've seen, and you've learned. Now just do it. Just do it. Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, I pray that you would speak to our hearts today. And I pray, oh God, for your leadership in our lives. Would you lead me to learn of you? Would you teach me, lead me to receive your word and to see your word lived out in others? But most of all today, Lord, I pray, lead me to do what I know to do. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.