Philippians 4:2-9
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 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.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
We have made our way to the last chapter in Philippians.
Paul has tried to encourage the Philippians to look to Christ in everything for their joy.
As we have mentioned before, but it bears repeating, Paul and the church at Philippi had a very good relationship.
The church had deep concern for Paul and his mission and they were anxious about how he was making it while he was imprisoned in Rome.
Paul consistently pointed them to Christ.
And here in the last chapter, as he begins to wrap up his letter, he sums up everything he has taught them with 2 very practical sections.
The last section we will get to next time, teaches true contentment as we rely on the Lord to take care of our needs.
The passage we will be looking at today encourages us to seek the true peace of God that Paul had found.
Paul had been through the ringer. If it could happen, it seemed to happen to him.
He tells the Corinthian church some of what he went through in 2 Corinthians 11:23
Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
So what was his secret to being able to go through all that, and still be at peace in his heart?
That is what he teaches us today.
Every Believer Must Seek the Peace that Paul Had
Every Believer Must Seek the Peace that Paul Had
By Living in Gospel Unity
By Living in Gospel Unity
I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 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.
One of the things we must remember is that we are studying a real letter written from a real person to a group of real people.
In an amazing and brilliant way, God took the lives of Paul and his readers and spoke through his pen and their situations in order to record for us His word.
In this way a 2000 year old letter is made deeply relevant to us here in the 21st century, not because of who wrote it or who he wrote it to, but because God breathed it.
We don’t know who these women, Euodia and Syntyche, were… this is the only time they are mentioned in scripture.
But apparently they had some disagreement between them that was significant enough to cause division between them and this was affecting the unity of the church.
Paul had mentioned unity earlier in the book in chapter 2.
complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Unity is big deal to Paul.
Unity shows that our priorities are in the right places and that we are working together toward the same goal.
There are different kinds of unity and you can be unified behind the wrong goals, that’s why Paul is encouraging the Philippians to unify around the gospel.
The kind of discord.
Paul was never afraid to call out false teaching.
So we can assume that whatever these two women had let come between them was not theological, or Paul would have called them on it.
Also, what ever it was the church had apparently taken sides with one or the other and this had caused a great separation.
This discord robs the church of its power and can destroy its testimony.
This is why it is so important to Paul to get the Philippian church back on the same page with its mission.
The people involved.
Euodia and Syntyche
We don’t know who these were, but we know that they were prominent members of the church who had been with the church from the beginning of its founding, because Paul says that they both labored with him side by side.
Paul would go to a new city and find the local synagogue to begin evangelizing in that city in order to plant a church.
But Philippi didn’t have a synagogue, because there had to be so many Jewish men there to start one.
Because of this the Jews that were in the city would meet by a river and pray, and this would typically be mostly women, because if they would have more men they would meet the requirements to have a synagogue.
We went over this when Philip preached through Acts in chapter 16
And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
So it is quite possible, but we don’t know for sure, that Euodia and Syntyche were there meeting at the river.
But these two women were wreaking havoc on the unity of the church and Paul pleaded with them to come together and agree in the Lord.
They were not living in love for one another and were riddled with pride and concern for themselves and their ways over the other.
The Leaders of the Church
Look at the wording of verse 3, it’s interesting.
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.
The ESV and NASB use a phrase here, true companion, for someone that Paul is encouraging to help reconcile the discord caused by Euodia and Syntyche. Other translations use the phrase true yokefellow.
Who is this person? To be described like this would be a great honor!
It looks like he is describing our two brawling women in the same way, as ones who have labored side by side with Paul in the gospel.
In studying this passage I found that, while no one really knows for sure, one of the most interesting theories is that the word translated true companion or true yokefellow, is actually someone’s name.
Imagine in 2000 years when Mandarin is the business language and English like we speak it today is no longer used. Some historian finds an email between some man and his fiance.
Her name happens to be Joy. This historian in translating it, doesn’t take it as a name, but translates the meaning of it instead.
Confusing this man’s love for Joy the person, with his love for happiness instead.
So it appears that Paul is strongly encouraging two of the pastors in the church, Clement and a man named Suzogus, that is the word behind the phrase true companion, to help these two women come to terms in the gospel and mend the tear in their relationship.
The rest of my fellow workers.
Paul also gives the rest of the church encouragement to bring fellowship and unity back.
And in the last part of this verse he makes it clear what the basis for their fellowship is, that the two women, the leaders of the church, and all of the members’ names were written in the book of life.
That is that they all were children of God.
We may not know who any of these people are, but we share the most important thing with all of them
The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
Our names will be confessed before God and the angels by Jesus Christ Himself.
Several times in going through this book we have talked about the ultimate unifying attribute to any person, salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
More than any intersection of gender, race or class that man can come up with to divide us into waring groups of people, the gospel truly and at the most foundational level unifies us for eternity.
This is the power of the gospel.
No political system or educational model can fix the problems of racism, abuse or suffering outside of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to call every tribe and tongue and gender and class together to worship the One True God in Heaven.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
So we seek peace like Paul had by living in Gospel unity, also...
So we seek peace like Paul had by living in Gospel unity, also...
By Allowing the Peace of God to Guard Our Hearts and Minds
By Allowing the Peace of God to Guard Our Hearts and Minds
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.
I want to start looking at this point of the passage by looking at the last part of verse 7.
Paul says, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The work guard is a military term.
It could be translated, The peace of God will keep guard over your hearts and minds. The sense is the same as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:32
At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,
Old King Aretas had his people all over the city of Damascus looking for Paul.
So too will God’s peace keep watch over your heart and mind.
Ralph Martin wrote this:
Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary b. Encouragements to Prayer and Noble-Mindedness (4:4–9)
The Philippians, living in a garrison town, would be familiar with the sight of the Roman sentry, maintaining his watch. Likewise, comments the apostle, God’s peace will garrison and protect your hearts and your minds. Bunyan’s use of this picture in the appointment and patrol of Mr God’s-Peace in the town of Mansoul should be read in conjunction with this verse. ‘Nothing was to be found but harmony, happiness, joy and health’ so long as Mr. God’s-Peace maintained his office. But when Prince Emmanuel was grieved away from the town, he laid down his commission and departed also
Some of us can be prone to anxiety and worry.
Some of us will be called to suffer in many different ways.
All of us will be faced with the darts of the devil, but Paul shows us how Christ protects our hearts and our minds.
By rejoicing in the Lord, always
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
We can't always rejoice in our circumstances or other people because both can be bad.
That is why we are called to rejoice in the Lord, unlike our circumstances or people, He is always good and He never changes.
We have reason to rejoice in Him because,
He is sovereign
Nothing is outside of God’s control.
And He understands every aspect of our lives and what we are going through
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
He saved us
Even though He knows everything about us, He still loves us and has adopted us.
He has gone to prepare a place for us, without bad circumstances and people,
and has promised to supply all of our needs in Christ until we are there with Him face to face!
By our reasonableness
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
The NASB uses the term gentle spirit and others use forbearance.
Christians (in contrast to how Euodia and Syntyche were acting) are to be a gracious people.
When it comes down to it, it means that we are to be known by graciousness.
Notice the scope of who we are to be gracious to, everyone.
Not just in the church, but toward everyone who we come in contact with, known to everyone.
As our great example, Christ, showed graciousness to us, we are to show graciousness to everyone else.
By trusting God
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
The reality of our situation is that God is in control.
My brother and sister, we are all going through it, some worse than others, but the Lord is at hand!
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
This is a truth that is already true and not yet true.
The Lord is near to all who call on Him, and the Lord is close to His return!
So pray and rely on the God who is near, put it in His hands, cast your cares on Him.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So full circle, we are guarded by the peace of God, by rejoicing in the Lord, always no matter what, by understanding the graciousness we were shown and showing others that graciousness, and by trusting God because He is near.
Before we move on to the last 2 verses, I want us to look at the little phrase that Paul uses to describe this peace that keeps watch over our hearts and minds: which surpasses all understanding.
Throughout history, men and women have faced incredible hardships, and faced them with Isaiah called quietness and trust forever.
And the effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
My brothers and sisters, we too can have that kind of peace facing what we have to face, in Christ.
Lastly, we can have the peace that Paul had...
By Practicing the Things That Paul Exemplified and Taught
By Practicing the Things That Paul Exemplified and Taught
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
So Paul presents us here with a testimony of peace in the hardest of circumstances.
We have been over his situation several times as we have looked at Philippians.
But Paul has the right outlook on this life, he trusts God.
His mind and heart is on rock solid grounds, and not just because he was less disposed to anxiety, nut because he set his mind on the truth.
He was dead set focused on His savior.
Not looking to the left or the right and being distracted by the things around him.
And so he concludes this passage by letting us know the secret sauce to his unshakable peace: he controlled what he thought about.
Warren Wiersbe quoted a study that said only 8 percent of the things that people worry about were legitimate concerns! The other 92% were either imaginary, never happened, or were out of there control!
So Paul had a filter with which he scanned the things that came to his mind, and he listed here the qualities a thought had to have in order to pass through that filter.
True
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
True is that which corresponds to reality. Anxiety comes when false ideas and unreal circumstances occupy the mind instead of truth. Ultimately, thinking on the truth is thinking on Jesus, who is the truth (John 14:6; Eph. 4:21).
Honorable
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
Noble refers to lofty, majestic, awesome things, things that lift the mind above the world’s dirt and scandal.
Just
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
Right refers to that which is fair to all parties involved, that which fulfills all obligations and debts. Thinking right thoughts steers one away from quarrels and dissensions to think of the needs and rights of the other party.
Pure
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
Pure casts its net of meaning over all of life from sexual acts to noble thoughts to moral and ritual readiness for worship. Thinking on the pure leads one away from sin and shame and toward God and worship.
Lovely
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
Lovely is a rare word referring to things that attract, please, and win other people’s admiration and affection. Such thoughts bring people together in peace rather than separating them in fighting and feuding.
Commendable
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
Admirable is something worthy of praise or approval, that which deserves a good reputation. Pondering ways to protect one’s moral and spiritual image in the community leads away from worries about circumstances and possessions that project a different image to the community and which thinking cannot change.
Excellence
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
what is best in every area of life, the philosophical good for which every person should strive
Worthy of praise
Holman New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians C. Joy in God’s Peace (vv. 4–9)
that which deserves human praise
The world would have us to think that in order to be a Christian we must give up our thinking and follow some imagined blind faith.
Televangelists say that our financial, personal and physical problems would go away if we turn off our brains and have some imagined faith that ends up lining their pockets.
But Paul says no! True faith means RESTING in the truth! Taking the lies of the devil and casting them aside to look to the savior who loves you and promises peace in the storm and safe harbor on the other side of it.
Jesus told the disciples in the sermon on the mount that their worrying was stupid foolishness. He directed their attention to the birds and the lilies who didn’t have to worry about food or clothing. And aren’t we more important to our Father than they?
Martin Lloyd-Jones said this about that part of Christ’s sermon:
“Faith, according to our Lord’s teaching in this paragraph, is primarily thinking, and the whole trouble with a man of little faith is that he doesn’t think. He allows circumstances to bludgeon him. We must spend more time in studying our Lord’s lessons in observation and deduction. The Bible is full of logic, and we must never think of faith as something purely mystical. We do not just sit down in an armchair and expect marvelous things to happen to us. This is not Christian faith. Christian faith is essentially thinking. Look at the birds. Think about them and draw your deductions. Look at the grass. Look at the lilies of the field, consider them. Faith, if you like, can be defined like this: It is a man insisting upon thinking when everything seems determined to bludgeon and knock him down in an intellectual sense. The trouble with the person of little faith is that instead of controlling his own thought, his thought is being controlled by something else, and as we put it, he goes round and round in circles. That is the essence of worry.” Now, get this: “That is not thought, that is the absence of thought,”
So Christian, think! Think what Christ has done! Think of what Christ is doing right now! Think of what Christ will do in the future!
Let your mind be consumed with the work of Christ! Let it be overrun with thoughts about His person! And it will strangle out any thoughts of worry or anxiety!
No easy path, but the path that winds and rises and falls to the will of the God who loves you, is in control and will bring you face to face with Him in the end!
Paul exemplified this, and so he commends them to look at his life and practice the things that he practices, so that the God of his peace can be with them as well.
Conclusion
Conclusion
And in closing, stepping back and looking at this whole passage again, we find something truly amazing.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
We have the peace of God and the God of peace guarding us and with us.
This is our comfort, our tranquility, our calm, our quietness, confidence.
The world says they find peace in eastern religion, yoga, meditation, they are told to empty their minds, but as soon as they stop their minds are filled again with unrest and noise...
They look to money and recreation and retirement… but those distractions are short lived.
We are commanded to fill our minds, not empty them, fill them with Christ and His truth.
Paul began to know this God of peace so well, that he was always giving Him to His readers...
May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.
And so I commend to you Paul’s source of peace in troubled times, the God of Peace.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.