Philippians 4:1-3

Jonathan M Melchior

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Philippians 4:1-3

I invite you to turn in your Bibles to ...

There are some movies that are sequels don’t make sense without seeing the first movie before it.

The Rise of Skywalker from Start Wars doesn’t make as much sense if you haven’t seen the last Jedi.

The Avengers End game doesn’t make as much sense if you haven’t seen Iron Man, Captive Marvel or Thor.

You have to understand “A” before “B” will make any sense.

You can’t understand how a carburator works if you don’t know the roll that gasoline plays in an engine.

Your never going to get the most out of your blush if you don’t know how to use foundation.

You have to understand “A” before “B” will make any sense.

This same kind of thing happens all the time in the Bible.

The Bible gives you a clue many times when this happens. There is one word that stand out and waves a yellow flag at you and says - What you’re about to read is deeply connected to that last paragraph.

The word is “Therefore”. Therefor is a big yellow flag that says, “Pay attention to how the these thoughts connect and build.”

When you see the word “Therefore” in your Bible I want you to ask this question. What is therefore - there for?

Our passage today, in verse 1, starts with the word “Therefore”. This means that we have to consider what was just said or we won’t understand todays text.

Therefore - What is “therefore” there for?

For sake of time I am going to connect these 2 thoughts for you.

Here is our connecting thought.

Paul says … Because our citizenship is in heaven and one day Christ followers will be there forever with Jesus - our great God and Savior... THEREFORE” let me tell you what you need to do … STAND FIRM

Paul doesn’t say play all your big loud hyped up worship music.

He doesn’t say raise your hands in praise.

I’m favor of doing both of those things.

Paul offers a response. A very practical kind response of worshipful obedience.

I Sam 15:22 - One of the greatest ways that we worship the Lord is not just by telling Him that he is great through song, but showing Him through our obedience that He is worth following.

-Paul gives 4 commands of worship. We will look at 2 of them today. Next week the other 2.

I. Stand Firm (Be Immoveable)

Be immovable is our first pointy for today, BE IMMOVEABLE.

Philippians 4:1 ESV

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

There are 2 contrasting kinds of words: Be Immoveable (Stand Firm) and loads of affectionate language. You usually don’t see affectionate language and emphatic strong language together.

In fact, you would be hard pressed to get more affectionate language in a sentence. Look at verse 1

Affectionate relational language - brothers, whom I love, long for, my joy and crown, my beloved. All this is packed into one short verse.

Young ladies let me tell you. If you are on a date and your man starts using that kind of language you need to find the nearest exit because he is about to put the move on you.

The point is this. Paul absolutely loved the Philippians. They were a close family to him.

-What does Paul tell these people that he absolutely loves?

-He tells them to Stand Firm (Be immovable).

Be unshakable, unyielding, uncompromising, steadfast

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

We all know that the winds of temptation and persecution will blow. Paul says to Stand Firm (be immovable).

Illustration - One short term missionary visited an East Asian country that was not friendly to the Gospel. He got to go into a jail in this country and meet a pastor that had been imprisoned many years and tortured for his faith. The American said to the jailed pastor, “It is such an honor to meet you. I will pray for you as you stand firm under this great trial.” The tortured pastor said...

-Thank you. I am the one who will be praying for you in your great trial. For your great trial is much more difficult than mine. The American said, What trial is that? I am in a free nation. The tortured pastor replied, The test you have everyday in your ease and comfort, of whether or not to take the big spiritual sleeping pill.

So, in our comfort and lack of persecution, we are tempted to take wiffs of the World’s ether or chloroform and to spiritually fall asleep.

When you resist the spiritual sleeping pill, and Stand Immovable. Not wavering in your faith. You are a light on a hill. You hold out the brightness of hope to a lost world.

We have seen these kinds of people who are immovable. Who are not put to sleep by the pleasures of this world, who are immovable for God. Billy and Franklin Graham (of Samaritans purse) come to mind. The great defender of the Christian Faith who died this past week Ravi Zacharius - who made an impact internationally in millions of people’s lives.

When you make a decision every day to give your heart’s affection to God and to follow Hi in sacrificial obedience, you are used by God as a light of hope in their lives.

ILLUSTRATION - Sepphoris “the Ornament of Galilee” Herod Antipas,

Sepphoris was less than 4 miles away from Nazareth. It was being built while Jesus would have been growing up.

It is very likely that Jesus and Joseph worked on this city under and were paid by Herod.

It was the largest and most cosmopolitan city in Galilee and an important city for education.

Less than 4 miles from Nazareth.

Sephhoris was up on a hill. Only being 4 miles away, Jesus would have grown up seeing in the distance this city on a hill. Limestone walls, most likely polished would gleam in the Sun as Jesus, his brothers and Joseph took the 1 hour there for a full day of work.

These city walls stood firm - They stood immovable.

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Be immovable.

We are immovable because our citizenship is in heaven. One day we will be with our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Transition, In response to our future glory in heaven with Jesus. Paul gives his second directive.

II. Be United (x2)

Philippians 4:2–3 ESV

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.

There is drama at the church in Philippi and it has gotten bad. So bad that the whole church has been effected by the division between 2 women Euodia and Syntyche. They had a strong disagreement. People were picking sides. It was a bad witness to others in the community and it was distracting believers from Jesus. Satan was getting a foothold. Paul was aware of it. Paul loved the church so much that he confronted the division and the women.

Division in a church is very very dangerous.

Paul knows that the greatest enemy to the church was not the persecution from government or society... not a governor telling his state that Christians cannot go to church. The greatest danger to any church comes from division within.

One of the most well know military strategies in the world is known as “Divide and Conquer”. This church in Philippi was starting to be divided. Gone unchecked the church would splinter and lose its effectiveness for Jesus.

They didn’t wake up one morning and think. Today I will divide my church. However, the disagreement grew and caused division.

Whatever the subject of their disagreement probably thought at one time - I’m standing for truth/for what is right - this will help the church.

The division caused by these two ladies was public. Everyone knew about it. So, Paul confronts the ladies publically.

Illustration - Pretend with me that there is a group Facebook page for all Georgia Baptist church members. All the members of the Georgia Baptist churches look at the page regularly - lets say that number is 400,000 people. In your own home church you get in an intense disagreement with the chairmen of deacons. The division gets so serious that rhe president of the Southern Baptist Convention, J.D. Greer, posts on that Georgia Baptist page of 400,000 people about you, using your name and the chairmen of deacons name, and tells you to cut it out. How would that make you feel?

In New Testament times, when Paul wrote a letter to a church, it was read out loud. It was read out loud to not just the elders and deacons, but the whole congregation.

Since getting a letter and a teaching from Paul was such a big deal, it was copied and sent out to all the other churches & read to their whole congregation and passed on - so everyone would get Paul’s teaching - including the rebuke of Euodia and Syntyche.

Paul knew when he wrote his letter everyone in the region and beyond would read it out loud, even the part of the division with the 2 ladies in the church. He publically wrote it and sent it anyway.

Here is the teaching.

There are rare circumstances when it is appropriate to publically rebuke someone. In this case, the sin of division effected the whole church and other churches most likely knew of it. The sin was against the whole church. They were rebuked in front of the whole church.

However, Paul was gentle. He was not harsh. Even in his rebuke he used language that was kind.

Unity in a church matters to God. Jesus prayed for unity. Turn in your Bible’s to...

John 17:20–23 ESV

20 “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.

This is why when there is a problem or division between 2 people in a church that it must be addressed. It must not be let to fester.

So, Paul specifically asks someone (true companion) to help these woman to work out their differences.

Satan has used the strategy of divide and conquer effectively with this church in the past. As best I can tell there has been 3 church splits in our history over the past 40-50 years. I’ve often wondered what our church would look like now if these divisions had not taken place.

We would do well to hear the warnings about division. We would also do well to be proactive in helping our church members work through a problem when it comes up.

Within the Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit) there is not division, but perfect unity.

God expects the body of Christ to have unity.

Here is the hope - When the church is unified - it is a powerful witness to a lost world.

John 17:20–23 ESV

When you follow Jesus and

-Are Immovable

-Are United

YOu are a great witness for Jesus.

When you follow Jesus and are Immovable and United, you make a statement that “Jesus is worth following” - “Jesus is worth giving your life for.”

This is motivated out of a love and knowledge that this world is not your home and that one day you will be worshiping Jesus in heaven.

There is a final city, a sparkling city, a city of God that is your home.

Will you be Immovable? Will you chose to be United?

Unbeliever - This world does not last forever.

What does last forever is forgiveness of God in heaven.

Heaven is for you.

You can have forgiveness now. You can have a place in heaven reserved for you with Jesus now.

How? In faith- believe what Jesus has done for you on the cross in making a payment for your sins. And by giving your whole life to follow Jesus.

Will you stop making excuses and follow him now?

III. Be watchful, Be thoughtful, Be intentional

Watch your thoughts. They become words. Watch your words. They become deeds. Watch your deeds. They become habits. Watch your habits. They become character. Character is everything.