Philippians 4:2-7

Our thoughts of God will shape the world we live in.

The NYT headline read “Lost Friendships, Broken Relationships: How the War in Iran is Dividing the Diaspora.”

“Amid months of protest, repression, and war in their native country, Iranians living abroad are navigating their biggest rifts yet.”

The article goes on to chronicle the lives and interactions of a number of Iranians across the globe – and how differing perspectives have brought division within a community with a shared ethnicity and roots.

Fleming Rutledge, a retired Episcopal priest, cites the article's thrust as a warning to the church.

One expat in Germany said, “This is not a healthy environment. People are kind of scared of clearly explaining their point of view.”

With the prevalence of social media, influencers making their opinions known has lost followers, and IRL some of their closest friends have been avoiding them.

“Friendships and business relationships have broken down… vicious insults have been exchanged online… and people are ghosting each other.”

The highest shared identity, nationality, family, is not strong enough to give them shared goals, purpose or vision. It all breaks down in a difference of opinion.

What does this have to do with the church? In contrast, a group with ethnic and national ties experiencing fracture becomes a warning to the church, made up of a multiplicity of backgrounds and perspectives.

“This, to me, is a call to the church precisely now, in a time when public expression of contempt for those who are on the other side politically has reached an extreme never before seen in American public life. Universal connection to social media has been the principal engine driving public acceptance of this poisonous animosity, but there has been almost no effective protest against it. There are laments, but very polite ones…” Fleming Rutledge

Maybe more than ever, believers have the opportunity to bridge polemical divides, strive against the prevailing winds of our culture, and maintain a unity that is otherworldly.

Paul’s exhortations in Philippians serve the church in maintaining solidarity and sanity among believers and in our souls.

He has already made the claim to unity.

Philippians 2:1–2 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, [2] complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” (ESV)

Rooted in Christ, our view of him and what he has accomplished determines if there is encouragement, comfort from love, and being in full accord.

The same is true for Paul’s repeated, now personal, call to unity, perseverance, and peace.

Our thoughts of God will shape the world we live in.

Traversing the text this morning reveals three categories that shape the world we exist in and how we see it.

Solidarity, Supplication, and Salvation.

Outward then inward in orientation.

Solidarity

From the call to stand firm in the Lord, to imitate believers running the race well, Paul meddles in the relationship of two leaders in the church.

Think of the first reading of this letter. The church is all gathered in one place, and you are sitting there reveling in the gospel, and then you are called out!

Philippians 4:2 “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.” (ESV)

What we know of Euodia and Syntyche is that they have labored side by side with Paul and the rest of the apostolic crew. And their names are in the book of life. They are believers and leaders.

But what we don’t know is what they are disagreeing about. Whatever it is, reconciliation is in order.

It might feel out of left field; the flow of the letter has been gospel proclamation (what we receive in Christ) and then gospel implication (how we live in light of salvation). This then follows the flow and gives this as what accompanies citizenship in heaven.

“This exhortation is not an afterthought to the gospel; it is an application. Reconciliation is gospel application. The gospel is relevant for all of life, including personal conflicts. Gospel reconciliation requires gospel thinking.” Jason Meyer

Unity in the body of Christ is vital.

This is their new family, support, and ministry.

“Those who follow hard after Christ live with tensions and troubles that the uncommitted heart does not know. And the distasteful atmosphere of the small Roman colony took its stressful toll on these excellent women.” KH

Because this is here, we know the gospel impacts relationships. But they can be hard work.

I came across an old poem that hints at the challenge:

“To live above with the saints we love,

Oh, that will be glory.

But to live below with the saints we know,

Well, that’s another story.”

Reconciliation can seem daunting, but through Christ’s grace, we can extend grace to one another.

We come together with all kinds of other labels (other than Christian), backgrounds, and perspectives, but we are made one in Christ.

Galatians 3:27–28 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

Ephesians 2:14–22 “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility [15] by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16] and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. [17] And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. [19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (ESV)

Christ as our peace breaks down walls of division, and that’s the glory of the gospel. A new humanity, united in Christ, diverse, built together.

And it is the heart of Jesus for us!

John 17:20–23 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, [21] that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. [22] The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, [23] I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (ESV)

“Where there is disharmony inside there is bound to be defeat outside. Where Christians cannot bear the sight of each other, they will not be able to look the world in the face either. They cannot win on the main ‘front’ of their contact with the world if they are secretly carrying on warfare on a ‘second front’ of their own devising.” J. A. Motyer

Important to recognize that this is unity, not conformity. While the old distinctives no longer reign, you can still be different. Paul’s exhortation is to “agree in the Lord.”

What this means is that our shared citizenship in heaven rules over everything else. It rules over our broad orthodox theological perspectives, it rules over our economic status, it rules over our opinions on vaccines and tax policy, it rules over our preference of musical genre, and whatever else you could come up with that might divide people.

The citizenship is what matters. What we glory and rejoice in. That our names are in the book of life.

Think even of the moment the disciples where crushing it in ministry, yet Jesus tells them what to rejoice in.

Luke 10:17–20 “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” [18] And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. [19] Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. [20] Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (ESV)

He knows there will come a time when they might not be able to cast out a demon, but they don’t put stock in that ability, because their names are in the book of life. So the world might try to tear the community apart but our names are written in his book, we stand firm together.

So we work at it. As Paul calls on a “true yokefellow,” someone in the church to help. Community keeps the solidarity.

“It should come as no surprise that conflict will come to fallen people living in a fallen world, but the gospel gives hope amid conflict because in Christ, there are no irreconcilable differences.” JM

We have to believe that of Christ. That Jesus really did establish a new people, a new kingdom for his glory, and that he longs for our unity.

“To agree on the gospel is the most fundamental form of unity: it involves a unity of mind and heart as to the doctrine and personal experience of salvation. To agree on what the gospel demands in its proclamation to the world is to cement unity by common action. The singleness of the task ought to be reflected in the singleness of the workers.” J. A. Motyer

What does this mean for us? We order our perspectives properly. That each other's names are in the book of life becomes the overriding priority.

Don’t shy away from conversation, from those that might have differing views on things apart from the gospel, but stay rooted in what is vital.

Don’t let disagreement linger, seek reconciliation with those you are at odds with, and ask for help in community.

And get there in prayer.

Supplication

This is where the weight of the text is: a call to rejoice relentlessly and seek the Lord in all things.

Philippians 4:4–5 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;” (ESV)

Rejoice always!

How can we have joy? By knowing Jesus. This translates into gentleness/reasonableness; we become level-headed people, steady in every circumstance.

Paul is a model of this. He is writing from prison and has been through it all. In whatever circumstance, find joy in Jesus. No loopholes here.

The Philippians can always rejoice “in the Lord” because what they have in Christ cannot fade, spoil, or expire. No one can steal their joy, for no one can take away their victory in Christ.

“Paul cannot deal with even the smallest problem, with even the most mundane situation, without putting it in the context of all of redemptive history. He cannot do it. He will not do it. He always brings the whole of eternity and all of the sweep of theology and everything to bear on anything and on everything.” Timothy J. Keller

Christian “joy is a basic and constant orientation of the Christian life, the fruit and evidence of a relationship with the Lord” (Bockmuehl). It comes from what the Lord has done in the past, from what he is doing now, and from the hope of what he will do in the future.

Philippians 2:17–18 “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. [18] Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)

Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord…

From the force of these three commands, Karl Barth concludes that “‘joy’ in Philippians is a defiant ‘Nevertheless!’”7—nevertheless “Rejoice.” Paul’s unqualified “Rejoice” certainly defies the thankless, complaining nature of humanity and human custom through all of history.

“The position of the believer is not simply one of waiting for an absent Lord to return; it is also one of enjoying the reality of a Lord who is always present.” J. A. Motyer

A resilience of “nevertheless” type of joy. Come what may we are in Christ and he is at hand. We get there by shifting our focus from our troubles to the enduring joy found in Christ. Even in trials, joy in the Lord exemplifies our trust in his sovereignty.

Because of what Christ has done, “we may rejoice, we will rejoice, we must rejoice, for we rejoice in the Lord . . . always” (Carson).

It shapes how we face circumstances and our neighbors. And we have somewhere to go with all of it.

Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (ESV)

He is putting our prayer, our mental and emotional life in the context of God’s care.

This is radical. Think of how most of modern counseling or better, self-help books get at anxiety.

“You’ll never see these books or seminars on how to deal with pressure and stress start like this: “First step: Let’s think about the big questions. Let’s think about the big issues philosophers and thinkers have been thinking about all of their lives and for centuries. What happens after we die? Is there a God? Is there a judgment day? Are there moral absolutes by which we discipline our consciences or are all moral things just subject to feelings that arise from our brain chemistry? Is there an eternal world? Is there meaning in life? What is the meaning of life? How do we have the authority to know anything?”

The philosophers call those questions of epistemology, questions of the existence of God, questions of morals, and so on. Is there a God? What happens after we die? Is there meaning in life? Is there an eternity? You never find any of the stress books start like that, never.” Timothy J. Keller

But this is the bread and butter of Philippians. Because the gospel is true, we have a place to bring our anxiety, our everything.

Again, Paul opens the category of “things” to not worry about wide open – Don’t be anxious about anything; in everything, with prayer and supplication.

“He literally declared, “stop worrying about anything!”—which assumes that the Philippians were anxiously wringing their hands. Indeed, as residents of Philippi they had more things to worry about than we do—poverty, hunger, ostracism, interlopers, agents provocateurs, heretics, and a very Roman “city hall.” Nevertheless, Paul’s absolute prohibition of worry stood and comes down to us with full force.” KH

But it is not a task done without the ability to make it so; we have a place to go with our anxiety.

“The contrast between anxiety and praying is instructive, because we can either carry our cares (i.e., anxiety) or remove our cares by giving them to God in prayer. We do not make our requests known to God because God lacks knowledge of them; we make our requests known so that we may be free from anxiety. We make these requests “by prayer and supplication.” The first word, “prayer,” is a general term for communicating with God, while the second is more specific, describing “an urgent request to meet a need, exclusively addressed to God.”’ JM

We give God our anxiety with thanksgiving, for who he is, what he has done, who that makes us to be, and what he promises to do!

“Anxiety is resolved by the deliberate acceptance of the worrying circumstance as something which an all-wise, all-loving and all-sovereign God has appointed. Prayer takes up the anxiety-provoking question ‘How?’—How shall I cope?—and answers by pointing away to him, to his resources and promises. Thanksgiving addresses itself to the worrying question ‘Why?’—Why has this happened to me?—and answers by pointing to the great Doer of all who never acts purposelessly and whose purposes never fail.” J. A. Motyer

We are invited to a constant conversation with the Lord.

As Peter also exhorts us:

1 Peter 5:6–7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (ESV)

This is what living between Calvary and the coming of Christ looks like.

If God is aloof, disinterested, incapable of intervention in our lives, none of this would make sense.

Our world would be trapped in anxiety – if it’s all on our shoulders, we are without hope.

But Paul has told us who this God is, sovereign, interested, personal. The One who, out of love, sends Jesus to secure your peace.

Through prayer you insist on seeing the world through the cosmic truth of his wise love.

“Of course I will seek him, see all that he has given me!”

Salvation

Last week, I heard that in the ladies' Bible study, they were reading a Psalm that in one translation had the word victory, in another, salvation.

I am doing something similar here with salvation, equating it with peace.

This is a transaction: we give God our anxiety and make our requests…

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

Prayer and thanksgiving become avenues to channel anxiety into God’s hands, resulting in his peace that transcends understanding – that seemingly doesn’t compute!

Gratitude is the right attitude for prayer because the believer approaches a throne of grace, not judgment. God is not stingy with his grace, so believers can come boldly because they know God is for them, not against them, in Christ.

This divine peace stands guard over our hearts and minds, a testament to Christ’s active role as our peace-giver.

This is a promise we cling to, rely on, and test. This is the God of peace with us.

This is how we see the world, how we face each day.

John Newton says if you understand the grace of God, it makes the worst times bearable and the best times leavable.

Makes us reasonable, gentle. This word means radical evenness of temper.

All of it done “in Christ Jesus.”

Salvation as union with Christ. Believing in him, we are joined with him. Given freedom, righteousness, His Spirit.

Right thinking about God and who Jesus is settles us with his peace. He is this caring and gracious to us. To give us peace, with God, in an anxious world.

1 Peter 1:8–9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, [9] obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (ESV)

Our thoughts of God will shape the world we live in.

“What a marvelous progression Paul’s imperatives bring, and what grace they would mean for the Philippian church as they were implemented. How salutary it is to “Rejoice in the Lord always”—to reference the parchments of grace that recall what God did in saving us—the merry fires of salvation—and to learn to rejoice at all times even amidst the worst scenarios (Philippians 4:4). Then, in concert with rejoicing always, we can let our gentleness be known to everyone—the very gentleness of Christ himself. And then more grace flows, enabling us to rejoice and to be gentle in the knowledge that God is near. Thus the command to not be anxious about anything will find fertile ground in our hearts, and we, with glad remembrances of God’s grace, will lay out our requests to God who already knows them and so find ourselves garrisoned by the peace of God, that passes all understanding.” KH

Our Christian community, Paul reminds us once more, is to be marked by unity and joy. Relational discord and unappeased anxiety rob our gospel communities of joy. God’s presence means that we can cultivate thankful, praying, peaceful hearts marked by a joyful reflection on what is good. Do you find yourself anxious?

The Lord is at hand. His nearness causes us to rejoice; his nearness effects gentleness; his nearness allays anxiety.

Know Jesus, receive peace.

Hand over all your worries to Christ; his salvation and peace will protect you.

Seek solidarity with one another, as those whose names are in the book of life.

Each of us is placed in a position of great responsibility: the onward march and the resolute stand of the church in the world depends, in the final human analysis, on the state of my heart, the quality of my holiness. In this situation, God is the mighty Indweller (2:13) and the God who sets a supernatural mark on our lives. He is our Guard and Companion. He gives us his peace. The task is great; the power is equal to it. - The Message of Philippians

The headlines of the day don’t define us; what Jesus says of us does. We are forgiven and free… at peace.

Psalm 40:1–3 “I waited patiently for the LORD;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

[2] He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

[3] He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the LORD. (ESV)

Rejoice, it is so in us.