The Pursuit of Peace

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that every person is born with three inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It’s the third of those, the pursuit of happiness, that has become known as the American Dream. Over the generations, that pursuit has taken many different forms and aimed at many different targets. It’s led some to go to California during the gold-rush and others to homestead Alaska. It’s the primary driver behind the student debt crisis and the reason that teenagers are throwing their arms out over the course of the year in pursuit of a college scholarship.

The real American Dream is not home ownership or a nest egg or giving your kids more than you had. The real American Dream is far simpler than that: it’s to have joy and not worry. That’s why Americans have become so famous for home ownership and student debt and credit cards and 401(k)’s. It’s because those things have become so closely associated with the pursuit of happiness in our minds that they become apparent ends in themselves. And, the devastating reality that so many of us have come to realize and so many in our community have come to realize is that you can have a savings account and still be anxious. You can have your dream home and still be miserable. You can have the right career and the right family and the right five year plan in place and still feel as though your spinning out of control. This morning, we’re going to hear Paul teaching us about the pursuit of joy and peace. In fact, he’s going to give us some clear prescriptions for us to implement into our lives that we might have the type of peace that the Powerball can’t offer.

You’ll notice in verse seven and again in verse nine that everything that is aimed at peace. Verse 7 promises to us the “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” will be in us, and verse 9 promises to us that the “God of peace” will be with us. And, as wonderful as it is to think of the peace of God being in us and the God of peace being with us, each verse of promise is preceded by a imperatives, commands, exhortations. They’re conditions that must be realized in the life of the believer if we are to know the fullness of peace that Christ has offered to us, as verse nine puts “Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” That is, the peace that surpasses all understanding is not automatic to the Christian, but rather the result of living out the fullness of the gospel in their lives. So, I want us to examine these conditions together.

v. 2 “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.” The first condition that we’re exhorted to meet is to “Unite in passion. You can imagine this letter being read out loud before the whole church. Everybody has gathered to hear what the great Apostle has written to them. Then, you get mentioned by name for a divisive relationship that you have with another sister in the church. That would get your attention. And, this is exactly how it would have played out. A disagreement had arisen between Euodia and Syntyche that had begun to bring division into the life of the Church, and Paul is pleading and urging them to overcome this disagreement together with the help of a mediator. And, what’s interesting to me is the description of these ladies, who were apparently influential leaders and workers in the church. You might expect a harsh rebuke or a stern warning, but Paul is pastoral and gentle in his approach, aside from addressing them publicly of course. He describes them as co-laborers, those that have worked together in the past with him, those he desires to work together even more in the future. He says that their ‘names are in the book of life.’ That is, these are faithful, sincere, serving, Christian women. Their status in the Kingdom of God seems apparent and clear to Paul. And yet, conflict and division has arisen between them, something neither of them probably would have ever imagined that they would be a part of. Herein lies the paradox of the church that we all know too well. The paradox of the church is that The Church is a source of “joy” for Christians, and the church is a source of “pain” for Christians.

And, Philippi was no exception. You can imagine this letter being read out loud before the whole church. Everybody has gathered to hear what the great Apostle has written to them. Then, you get mentioned by name for a divisive relationship that you have with another sister in the church. That would get your attention. And, this is exactly how it would have played out. A disagreement had arisen between Euodia and Syntyche that had begun to bring division into the life of the Church, and Paul is pleading and urging them to overcome this disagreement together with the help of a mediator. And, what’s interesting to me is the description of these ladies, who were apparently influential leaders and workers in the church. You might expect a harsh rebuke or a stern warning, but Paul is pastoral and gentle in his approach, aside from addressing them publicly of course. He describes them as co-laborers, those that have worked together in the past with him, those he desires to work together even more in the future. He says that their ‘names are in the book of life.’ That is, these are faithful, sincere, serving, Christian women. Their status in the Kingdom of God seems apparent and clear to Paul. And yet, conflict and division has arisen between them, something neither of them probably would have ever imagined that they would be a part of.

APPLICATION: With whom do you need to reconcile this morning? Is there a relationship from which you used to find joy and you used to find encouragement that has drifted over a disagreement? In other words, where in your life is there an opportunity to show how much greater the gospel is than your opinions or your offenses? With whom do you need to reconcile with this morning so that you can know the sweet joy of being right again with your brother or sister in the faith? Reconcile with each other!

And so, Euodia and Syntyche are called back to what he had written in chapter two to ‘agree in the Lord’ or to ‘be of one mind.’ They’re called to action to overcome their disagreement and division to be reconciled. To ‘agree in the Lord’ doesn’t mean that they have to share the same opinion. Unity isn’t always sharing the same “opinion”; unity is sharing the same “passion”. That’s what it is to be ‘of one mind.’ It’s to be sold out together to the singular passion, the singular obsession of the mind, the glory of Jesus Christ. That is, they are to view their differences, not through the lens of separation, but through the lens of the gospel, through the lens of grace, through the cross of Jesus Christ that had brought them together to begin with so that it might bring them together again. Disagreement is an “opportunity” to show the “strength” of the gospel. Disagreement provides us with an opportunity to live out the very grace that Jesus showed us. We’re able to ‘agree in the Lord’ that the Kingdom is greater than our differences and the Kingdom is greater than our disagreements and the Kingdom advancing is more important than me getting my way. What matters is that Christ is glorified, not that every person views the world through my eyes. And so, it’s the very gospel that reconciled us to God and brought us to each other to begin with that enables us to remain together.

APPLICATION: I don’t want us to all think and view the world the same way. That would be boring. What’s far more beautiful is for us to come with differences of opinion and differences of perspective and differences of experiences to unite behind our singular passion for Jesus Christ. With whom do you need to be reconciled this morning so that your passion for Jesus can be set free? With whom this morning can you agree to disagree so that your common passion in Jesus might take precedent?

v. 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.” The second condition for peace that we see is that we must “Rejoice” through anything. Beginning in verse 4, Paul begins to move on from the situation with Euodia and Syntyche to more general counsel for the congregation at large. But, I think what we’re seeing is an expansion of that situation so that it can apply to the division and lack of peace found in the whole congregation and for any future issues that may arise. You’ll notice there’s two major exhortations, each followed by a ‘let your’ statement that expands the thought. First, he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And, it’s the word ‘always’ that stands out to me. The call is to open-ended, unimpeded, relentless rejoicing regardless of what’s going on around you or happening in your life. Think of how this flows out of what has just been said. When someone disagrees with you, rejoice in the Lord. When someone offends you, rejoice in the Lord. When someone corrects you, rejoice in the Lord. And, it doesn’t stop there. ‘Always’ keeps going. When you have plenty of money, rejoice always. When you don’t have enough, rejoice in the Lord. When you feel good, rejoice in the Lord. When your health fails, rejoice in the Lord. When your pregnant, rejoice in the Lord. When you’re unable to be pregnant, rejoice in the Lord. When you get the promotion, rejoice in the Lord. When you get passed over, rejoice in the Lord.

v. 6 “do not be anxious about anything” And, that moves us into the other side of the same coin. Verse 6 simply states the very same ideal as verse 4 except verse 4 states positively and verse 6 states it negatively. It says, “Do not be anxious about anything.” It’s the same thought, isn’t it? For if I wasn’t worried about anything then I could rejoice always. “Anxiety” is the opposite of joy. Anxiety leads to dismay and despair. Joy is hope, contentment, and peace. And, the command not to be anxious is just as extreme as the command to rejoice always. For he says, “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING.” Not only are we to have open-ended joy, but we are to at the same time have an open-handed faith that eradicates all anxiety from our lives. So, do not be anxious about anything. Do not be anxious when others disapprove of you. Do not be anxious when your family feels threatened. Do not feel anxious when your children are sick. Do not feel anxious when your marriage is hard. Do not feel anxious when no one seems interested in you.

v. 5 “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” So, we know what we’re supposed to do, rejoice always and not be worried about anything, but how are we to do it? What is it to look like? Now, I want you to look at the two expansions and how I think they fit together. These are the two ‘let your’ statements. First, he says, “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.” This has to do with your relationship with others. Some of the other translations are a little clearer to understand and say, “Let us be gentle before everyone” or “Let us live with graciousness before everyone.” We can take all of these translations together to understand what Paul is getting at. With the conflict between the two ladies and the divisions of the church in his mind, he goes back to an earlier point: “Count others as more significant than yourself. Put the interests of others ahead of your own interests.” Let me ask you what is reasonable? The eternal Son of God left a throne of utter power and constant glory to be hammered to a cross. As He was hammered there, the filth of your mind was added to him and the harsh words you’ve said were added to him and the greed with which you live was added to him, and there on a cursed tree He ‘emptied himself’, made himself nothing, hung there gently restraining the army of angels ready to vindicate him, and He absorbed the full wrath of God. And, as He received your filth, He at the same time added to you his righteousness. Now, let me ask you, having been treated so humbly, so gently, so kindly, so generously by Christ, what is your reasonable response in how you deal with others? Is it to hold them to a standard that you yourself could not meet? Is it to demand that that they uphold every opinion that you do? Is it to be their judge and their enforcer? Oh now, brothers and sisters, it is only reasonable to come in the humility found at the cross of Jesus Christ. It is to treat sinners gently and to be generous in your expectations and to defer to their interests over your own, their good over your good that you might glory in Christ. To know the “joy” of Christ you must live with the “humility” of Christ. It’s that humility that allows a difference of opinions to lead to rejoicing, for you can honor Christ with your gentleness. It’s that humility that can lead hurt and heartbreak to rejoicing, for it is a chance to share in the sufferings of Christ. It’s that humility that can set you free to really give generously and love radically so that you can see that giving is more blessed than receiving.

V. 6b “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you requests be made known to God.” The other expansion statement that we should notice follows his call away from anxiety when he says, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” So, on one hand, he says our joy and peace having to do with our relationships with others, and on the other hand our joy and peace have to do with our relationship with God. We must have a heart that is as kind toward others as God has been toward us, and we must have a heart that is confident in the sovereign goodness of God. And, it’s the sovereign goodness of God that is the chief thought for it frames the whole conversation. For in whom are we to rejoice always? We are to rejoice in the Lord! The very name Lord is indicative of the rule of God over every person and every circumstance. Why are we not to be anxious about anything? ‘The Lord is at hand!’ It’s a reminder of : “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” He is sovereign, and He is here. He is superintending all that takes place so that his glory spreads and so that our glory comes. He’s working together every hardship because He can and because He is willing. He is sovereign, and his sovereignty is good. For the Christian, God’s sovereignty and not our circumstances, God’s sovereignty and not our disappointments, God’s sovereignty and not worst case scenarios determines our confidence and hope. So, what do we do with all of the setbacks, all of the threats, all of the concerns, all of the worst case scenarios that we imagine? That is, how can we rejoice ALWAYS? How can we not be anxious about ANYTHING? “In EVERYTHING, every frantic worry, every imagined threat, every painful day, every betrayal, every heartbreak, every trepidation, in EVERYTHING....let your requests be made known to God.” And, if you can “trust” God with everything, then you can “rejoice” through anything.

APPLICATION: Are you at odds with a brother or sister in Christ? Can you trust God with it? Give it to him, and don’t worry. Is something going on with your marriage or your kids? Can you trust God with it? Offer it to him, and don’t be anxious. What’s going on at work that’s making you feel out of control? Can you trust God with it? “In EVERYTHING…let your requests be made known to God!” If you can trust God with everything, then you can rejoice through anything.

“if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” The final condition for peace is that we must “Spiral” upward. Let me explain what I’m talking about. When we first started this series in Philippians, I told you that it was really born through my own experience with anxiety and unhappiness. And, there’s been no greater arrow in my quiver in the battle against anxiety and unhappiness that verses 8-9. Here I think Paul is giving us just real life, practical counsel as to how we can rejoice always and not be anxious about anything. He’s talking about a new way of thinking. He’s talking about a way of thinking so that every relationship, in every interaction, in every disagreement, in every struggle, in every storm, you see God. You see him everywhere. I think verses 8 and 9 were born in Paul’s heart as he sat there cold in his prison cell. You see, I kept finding myself in these downward spirals. The smallest thing would go wrong, and I would let it just spiderweb in my mind until it ended up in a very dark place. And, here’s what I realized: in every downward “spiral” we “remove” God from the equation. I had assumed that I controlled my own destiny, and I know what an idiot I am. I know that I won’t come through. I know that I’m the poster child for Murphy’s Law. But, look at what Paul teaches us. It’s so different than our natural reaction to anxiety. Our natural response is to be a doomsday prep-er and to make contingency plans and find solutions and cut people out of our lives and make huge changes that damage people around us. Our response is to spin out of control trying to make sure that worst case scenarios don’t happen. Paul’s is to stop spiraling downward and start spiraling upward, to stop focusing on what you need to do and focus on what God has done and will do. So, I’m working to practice these things. When I feel a bad day or a bad thought spiderwebbing into a million more horrific possibilities, I stop, and think of how wonderful God is and go from there. I’ll name every wonderful thing about God I can think of and let it spiderweb into a million more wonderful thoughts about God. When I’m offended or at odds with someone, rather than picking them apart in judgement, I’m working to spiral upward in my thoughts of them and how God has used them to teach me and sanctify me. When my health is failing, rather than spiraling downward into a pity party, I’m spiraling upward into thoughts of how God will use it for my good and for the advancement of his own Name. And, it resets my heart. Meditating upon the “power” and “kindness” of God resets our hearts. It reminds me that there is One far bigger and One far better upon whom my life depends than me.

And, it’s the spirit of this thanksgiving that we come to verses 8-9. When we first started this series in Philippians, I told you that it was really born through my own experience with anxiety and unhappiness. And, there’s been no greater arrow in my quiver in the battle against anxiety and unhappiness that verses 8-9. Here I think Paul is giving us just real life, practical counsel as to how we can rejoice always and not be anxious about anything. He’s talking about a new way of thinking. He’s talking about a way of thinking so that every relationship, in every interaction, in every disagreement, in every struggle, in every storm, you see God. You see him everywhere. I think verses 8 and 9 were born in Paul’s heart as he sat there cold in his prison cell. You see, I kept finding myself in these downward spirals. The smallest thing would go wrong, and I would let it just spiderweb in my mind until it ended up in a very dark place. And, here’s what I realized: in every downward spiral I had removed God from the equation. I had assumed that I controlled my own destiny, and I know what an idiot I am. I know that I won’t come through. I know that I’m the poster child for Murphy’s Law. But, look at what Paul teaches us. It’s so different than our natural reaction to anxiety. Our natural response is to be a doomsday prep-er and to make contingency plans and find solutions and cut people out of our lives and make huge changes that damage people around us. Our response is to spin out of control trying to make sure that worst case scenarios don’t happen. Paul’s is to stop spiraling downward and start spiraling upward, to stop focusing on what you need to do and focus on what God has done and will do. So, I’m working to practice these things. When I feel a bad day or a bad thought spiderwebbing into a million more horrific possibilities, I stop, and think of how wonderful God is and go from there. I’ll name every wonderful thing about God I can think of and let it spiderweb into a million more wonderful thoughts about God. When I’m offended or at odds with someone, rather than picking them apart in judgement, I’m working to spiral upward in my thoughts of them and how God has used them to teach me and sanctify me. When my health is failing, rather than spiraling downward into a pity party, I’m spiraling upward into thoughts of how God will use it for my good and for the advancement of his own Name. And, it resets my heart. It reminds me that there is One far bigger and One far better upon whom my life depends than me. And, do you know what comes when I am thoroughly convinced of the sovereign goodness of God? A peace without understanding. Verse 7 and verse 9 both land on the same result of finding your joy and confidence in God -- peace. The peace of God is in us because the God of peace is with us. He’s with us. Today, you can rest. Today, you can have peace. Today, we can have peace in our fellowship together. If finally you will come to the sovereign goodness of God with an open-handed faith, and say, “God, I trust you with it all.” And, when we come to God with an open-handed faith, open-ended, unimpeded joy stops being a dream and starts being reality.

And, it’s the spirit of this thanksgiving that we come to verses 8-9. When we first started this series in Philippians, I told you that it was really born through my own experience with anxiety and unhappiness. And, there’s been no greater arrow in my quiver in the battle against anxiety and unhappiness that verses 8-9. Here I think Paul is giving us just real life, practical counsel as to how we can rejoice always and not be anxious about anything. He’s talking about a new way of thinking. He’s talking about a way of thinking so that every relationship, in every interaction, in every disagreement, in every struggle, in every storm, you see God. You see him everywhere. I think verses 8 and 9 were born in Paul’s heart as he sat there cold in his prison cell. You see, I kept finding myself in these downward spirals. The smallest thing would go wrong, and I would let it just spiderweb in my mind until it ended up in a very dark place. And, here’s what I realized: in every downward spiral I had removed God from the equation. I had assumed that I controlled my own destiny, and I know what an idiot I am. I know that I won’t come through. I know that I’m the poster child for Murphy’s Law. But, look at what Paul teaches us. It’s so different than our natural reaction to anxiety. Our natural response is to be a doomsday prep-er and to make contingency plans and find solutions and cut people out of our lives and make huge changes that damage people around us. Our response is to spin out of control trying to make sure that worst case scenarios don’t happen. Paul’s is to stop spiraling downward and start spiraling upward, to stop focusing on what you need to do and focus on what God has done and will do. So, I’m working to practice these things. When I feel a bad day or a bad thought spiderwebbing into a million more horrific possibilities, I stop, and think of how wonderful God is and go from there. I’ll name every wonderful thing about God I can think of and let it spiderweb into a million more wonderful thoughts about God. When I’m offended or at odds with someone, rather than picking them apart in judgement, I’m working to spiral upward in my thoughts of them and how God has used them to teach me and sanctify me. When my health is failing, rather than spiraling downward into a pity party, I’m spiraling upward into thoughts of how God will use it for my good and for the advancement of his own Name. And, it resets my heart. It reminds me that there is One far bigger and One far better upon whom my life depends than me.

And, do you know what comes when I am thoroughly convinced of the sovereign goodness of God? Do you know what comes when I can see the hand of God at work everywhere I look and in every hardship I face? A peace without understanding. Verse 7 and verse 9 both land on the same result of finding your joy and confidence in God -- peace. If finally you will come to the sovereign goodness of God with an open-handed faith, and say, “God, I trust you with it all — every disagreement, every worry, every ambition.” And, when we come to God with an open-handed faith, open-ended, unimpeded joy stops being a dream and starts being reality.

How can the church be both a place of pain and a place of joy? How does our already being saints but still being sinners factor into the joy/pain paradox of the church?

There are some disagreements over which we should be willing to divide and many others that we should be willing to agree to disagree for the work of the Kingdom. How do you know when you should divide over an issue and when you should overcome or overlook it for the sake of unity? What are some examples of each? Which type have you encountered most often in the church?

How can being ‘reasonable’ and ‘gentle’ with others bring more joy to your relationships? Why is it important that our ‘reasonableness be known to everyone’?

What types of things do you have trouble trusting God with? Are these the same things that find yourself most anxious about? What would it look like to entrust them to God? What does your prayer life say about your confidence in God’s sovereign goodness?

Do you find yourself in downward spirals and doomsday prepping? Why do you think that is? What might it look like to spiral upwards?

Verse 9 says: “Practice these things, and the peace of God will be with you.” Have you ever realized before that the ‘peace that surpasses understanding’ is conditional? Has your lack of peace at times caused you to question God’s goodness, God’s love, or God’s nearness? How does this change the way you pursue peace in your life?

The Pursuit of Peace

Introduction

God’s Word

Read

Conditions for the Pursuit of Peace (Headline)

“Unite” in Passion.

Same Passion, not Opinion

“Rejoice” through Anything.

Do Not Be Anxious

Be Reasonable and Gentle

Trust God with Everything

Can You Trust God with It?

“Spiral” Upward.

Peace will Come

Questions: