Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Dismiss the Kids

Thank you Brandon and Allison for leading us in worship.

It is a blessing in our ministry to have so many able worship leaders who love the Lord and want to see him Magnified and Praised.

It is comforting to know that Things are taken care of when I can’t lead and next week Andrew will be leading as I am in Colorado for the Men’s camping trip.

And of course there are several others in our ministry who have the heart to lead in worship and for that we are blessed.

Well this morning we are continuing our series in the book of Philippians entitled Realms of Living.

I have loved this series and I hope it has encouraged you and challenged you in your walk with Christ.

Well this morning we are continuing our series in the book of Philippians entitled Realms of Living.

I have loved this series and I hope it has encouraged you and challenged you in your walk with Christ.

Today we are in Chapter 4

Today we are in Chapter 4 of Philippians so if you have your bibles this morning turn there

if you don’t have yours with you you can grab a hard back one from the pew in front of you!

And If you don’t own a bible, let that be our gift to you!

The sermon today is titled: Living in the Peace of God.

Thinking about our culture today there are a lot of words that come to mind, but peaceful is nowhere near the tip of my tongue.

But I believe we can learn quite a bit about Peace from the Apostle Paul in this rich portion of scripture and I hope that it challenges us this morning and that it stirs up or desire to love God deeper and to shift our focus off of the things of this world and into things of Heaven, a completely different realm.

The sermon today is titled: Living in the Peace of God.

In our culture today there are a lot of words that come to mind to describe it but peaceful is nowhere near the tip of my tongue.

I believe we can take quite a bit from the Apostle Paul in this segment of scripture and I hope that it challenges us this morning and stirs or desire to love God deeper and to shift our focus off of the things of this world and into things of Heaven, a completely different realm.

Let’s go to the Lord in prayer as we get started

Alright, this is the last chapter in Philippians and we can see Paul begin to land the plane in his letter.

Kind of wrapping it up and putting a big bow on it.

So this is the point in the letter where all of the people in the church at Phillipi began to fiddle for their car keys and text people across the sanctuary about if they were going to Roadhouse or Chili’s after the service.

It was just getting to be that time....

Look with me now at verses 1-3.

Paul writes:

4 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

4 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Exhortation, Encouragement, and Prayer

2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

These verses tell us to be:

I. Firm and Unified in Christ

He begins by addressing them again with sweet and endearing terms.

You know how on Facebook you see all the middle schoolers who are posting about the love of their life that they’ve been dating for a few weeks.

And every one of their posts are basically shakespearian sonnets about the burning love they have for their future wife?

And we’re all like we get it… you like them.

Sometimes I think that that’s how other churches might have read the letter to the Philippians as it was presented.

“we get it” you really love those guys.

Now Paul’s love for the Philippians is much more serious and authentic than a middle school romance.

And he addressed a lot of other churches sweetly but it is OBVIOUS that the church at Phillipi held a special place in his heart.

So he begins his landing approach in verse 1 by saying you guys who are really special to me, “Stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved”

I want us to look a little deeper and focus in on a word here that will give us a lot of clarity moving forward.

And that is the greek word houtos (οὕτως) which is translated “thus” or “in this manner”

But I want us to look a little deeper and focus in on a word here that will give us a lot of clarity moving forward.

And that is the greek word houtos (οὕτως) which is translated “thus” or “in this manner”

This word is pointing to something else.

It is referring to what he had just finished in chapter 3. Look with me in Chapter 3 verses 20-21 that Glen covered last week

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

That’s the God that we stand firm in!

The one that has the power to subject all things to himself.

Christ is powerful!

By saying stand firm thus or” houtos” he is saying we can stand firm because we are citizens of Heaven and:

He is our rock!

Our firm foundation.

Our cornerstone.

There is nothing else in this world that you can stand firm on.

You can’t stand firm on your social status, your job, your health,

all of life’s pleasures are fleeting but our Unshakeable God is where we stand firmly rooted.

He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

4  The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away

See We will not be blown away in the winds of our troubles, tragedies and sin if we are rooted in Christ.

We have a hope that the World is desperate for!

Stand firm church.

let’s keep reading now into verse 2-3

And in verse 2 we see again a call to unity that has been expressed over and over in this series!

We cannot let our disagreements and preferences take our body in different directions!

We are to be of one body, one mind; to agree in the Lord.

2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

So here we see again a call to unity that has been expressed over and over in this series!

We cannot let our disagreements and preferences take our body in different directions!

We are to be of one body, one mind; to agree in the Lord.

Do you remember what it felt like to get tattled on in grade school?

The embarrassment you felt as the teacher called you out in front of all your friends.

This is basically what just happened.

Apparently there are two women who are in a dispute and Paul calls them out

A few weeks our pastor challenged us to take upon ourselves the attitude of Christ and humble ourselves to honor one another instead of honoring ourselves.

says this:

says this:

16 Live in harmony with one another.

Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Never be wise in your own sight.

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God

We need to be more concerned with honoring one another than being right.

In light of our citizenship in Heaven and the Power of Christ our disputes seem silly.

Mud Volleyball Illustration

I was not effective when I was so focused on the slippery ground beneath my feet.

When I stand on solid ground where I can get a good footing and keep my eyes on the task at hand I am a lot more effective and I am a bigger help to my teammates.

Likewise in the church, When we bicker about small things as a body we are not on solid ground we are standing weakly on our own footing and members of our body begin going different directions.

Paul points to eternity in saying we are citizens of heaven and that gives us a whole different perspective on our small problems and disputes with one another.

An entirely different realm.

Thinking in a different realm we stand firm in the here and now!