How to Stand Firm!

Introduction

Welcome back this Wednesday night! It is so good to be back with y’all. We are getting back into the groove of attending services. We are going to continue on in our sermon series through the book of Philippians. Tonight we come to the final chapter which is Philippians 4. Paul begins in this chapter to drive home practical application to the church at Philippi. Moreover he is seeking to help these Philippians believers understand how to stand firm in the faith.

Remember last week, Paul called the church to forget what was behind and to press on to what lies ahead of them in Christ Jesus. Now, we continue on an will be looking at Philippians 4: 1-7. Paul calls the church to seek unity, rejoice, pray, and to think upon the things of Jesus Christ.

Speaking of rejoicing, I found a quote that sums up the Christian life and meaning of human life from A. W. Tozer when he writes,

“Without the creation, the wisdom of God would have remained forever locked in the boundless abyss of the divine nature. God brought His creation into being that He might enjoy them and they rejoice in Him.” - A. W. Tozer

We are created for God’s enjoyment and called to rejoice in Him.

Sermon Summary: The Church is called be at peace with one another by thinking upon the things of Christ and constant prayer for one another which will result in rejoicing in Christ.

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-7

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.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Php 4:1–7). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Point I: The Church will stand firm when she agrees in the Lord. (vv. 1-3)

Let’s take a look back at verses 1-3,

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

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Php 4:1–3). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Here we see that Paul continues on in his letter to the Philippian believers. First, we see the word therefore and must ask the question, “What is it there for?” as Pastor Kip taught us Sunday. Paul is continuing to build from Philippians 3:12-21 in which he calls the church to press on in pursuit of Christlikeness.

Then, he continues to show his love and affection for the church. Notice that he calls the brother yet again. Not only that, he also points explicitly that he loves them and longs for them. Then, he uses this interesting adjective phrase to describe the church at Philippi. He calls this church his “joy and crown.” This church brought Paul joy as both he and the Philippian church were suffering for the Gospel. Not only that, but Paul claims that this church is his crown as well. The crown referenced here is one that would be wore after winning an athletic event. Paul was encouraged and proud of the church at Philippi.

Are we a church that others would describe as their joy and crown? Can you as a member here describe this church as your joy and crown?

After showing his love for them, he then calls them with a command. The command is to stand firm in the Lord. Paul calls the church to stand firm in the Lord in the face of persecution. Remember that as believers, persecution is a given.

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. -2 Timothy 3:12

It does not get much clearer than that. However, the call is for the believer to stand firm in the face of persecution. I know many Christians do not want to think of persecution. I will be honest, I don’t like to think about persecution either, but I think it is vitally important for us to understand that persecution will come. By understanding the persecution will come, we will be more apt to stare it in the face and stand firm in the Gospel. So believer, stand firm in the Lord. Don’t give in! We are called to hold true to the faith.

After Paul’s heartfelt encouragement to stand firm, he moves right into shepherding this church. Look at what he does in verse 2. He begins to address specific members within the Philippian church. He says, “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.”

Now that Paul has called the church to stand firm in the Lord, he is going to help them understand how to do so. He begins by calling out conflict within the church. He calls out two women within the church, Euodia and Syntyche. These two women were at odds with one another; however, the Bible does not give specific mention to what they were at odds about. One can gather that the issue was not theological because if it were, Paul more than likely would have addressed the issue within his letter. However, he does not address a theological or doctrinal issue within this passage. Instead, he call both women to agree in the Lord.

This disagreement between these two women was causing dissension within the church. The work of the church was also being hindered by these two women. They were causing the church to divert her focus from the work of the Gospel. Instead the church was at odds. Even so, look at what verse 3 says, “who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement.” These ladies had served alongside Paul in the work for the Gospel and now they were against one another.

I want us to notice what Paul does here. He does not call out one woman as right and one woman as wrong. Instead, he calls both ladies out. He does not choose a side, he chooses agreement in the Lord. And then, he calls the church to “help these women.” You see, conflict between two believers effects the whole body. Therefore, the whole body must be resolved in seeking harmony or unity in the Lord. The church can only stand firm when it agrees in the Lord.

Are we, Salem Springs Baptist, agreeing in the Lord? Are we in harmony and unity? Or, Do we have members at odds with one another causing our focus to be drawn away from the Gospel?

I ask these questions seriously. I beg of you to seriously consider these question so that as a church we may address differences for the sake of the Gospel being our focus that we may honor God in all aspects. I call all of us to consider these questions. Our odds that not theological must be addressed because they simply do not matter. Do you have preferences? Must the church do what you want? Set aside division and quarreling over things that do not pertain to the Gospel. I have heard it said before, “Nothing is sacred except for the Gospel.” (Bruce Sanguin) What that means is that the only thing that we should get fired up about defending is the Gospel and living in accordance with the Gospel. We shouldn’t allow divisions to take place over flowers, chairs, or music style. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is what calls us together, and He has the power to save. Therefore, the Gospel is all that is sacred. The Gospel is what matters and what must be taken to the lost around us. If our focus is on anything other than glorifying God, living according to the Word of God, and sharing the Gospel, then we have a misplaced focus that must be addressed. Paul knew these women were distracting the church from its purpose. That is why he called them to agree in the Lord.

How can we stand firm in the Lord if we are at odds with one another? The church is here to glorify God and strengthen believers for the work of ministry. With that being said, we are here to help each other settle differences. Paul calls the church at Philippi to help these two women seek harmony in the Lord. Church may we help each other seek harmony in Christ. May we settle our petty differences and agree in the Lord so that we may live in accordance with the Gospel. This is the call of the Word of God to help us stand firm in the Lord.

Point II: The Church will stand firm when she rejoices in the Lord.

Let’s venture back to verses 4-5, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;”

Paul continues in his explanation for how the church can stand firm in the Lord. He calls the church to rejoice in the Lord. Again, remember that the church is under persecution for the Gospel and Paul is in prison for the Gospel. However, he still calls for rejoicing. As we looked at previously in Philippians 1, joy comes not from our circumstances, but joy comes from our relationship with Christ.

Notice when we are to rejoice, Paul says to rejoice always. This does not excuse us to have moments in which we do not rejoice. The call is to constantly rejoice. Though the church at Philippi was under persecution, they were not relieved from the call to rejoice in the Lord, and neither are we. Whenever we have a tough day, lose a loved one, or simply cannot win for loosing, the call is for us to rejoice in the Lord.

In my own life, there have been times whenever I have simply felt like sitting back and just being down. In times whenever I have felt overloaded, I felt like sitting in the back seat and letting go. Having thoughts of feeling sorry for myself. However, is that not selfish of me? Is it not selfish when the God of the universe sent His very own Son to die on the cross for me and commanded me to rejoice in Him, then I neglect to rejoice in Him when things get tough? Is that not selfish? I know that I am not the only one who has been there. However, no matter what situation we are in, the call is to rejoice in the Lord.

Likewise we are also to let our reasonableness or gentleness be known. These two commands go side by side. Whenever we rejoice in the Lord, we are able to display the gentleness of Jesus. As we saw last week, we are called to Christlikeness. Therefore, we must rejoice in the Lord and display the gentleness of Christ to all. The church of Philippi was facing persecution for the Gospel and Paul calls them to show grace and gentleness. It seems as though he would call them to fight back and push against persecution.

It is much like the nurse working in a serviceman’s hospital. She complained to the chaplain that she had been rudely treated by some of the patients. He answered, “Thank God for that!” “What do you mean?” she inquired in astonishment. “Well,” he explained, “if you are holding a glass and someone knocks against you, you can only spill our what is inside! When people misjudge and persecute us, we soon reveal what is in our hearts. If we are Christ-filled and governed by the Holy Spirit, we will manifest the gentleness and meekness of our Savior. In fact, God often allows us to be pushed around and mistreated so that unsaved men may be astonished at His grace as we overflow with love and forbearance. -Speaker’s Quote Book

This has Gospel purpose. Whenever we rejoice in the Lord and display gentleness, our witness is only strengthened. Whenever we reflect upon what Christ has done for us, we will rejoice in Him. Then, as we have new life in Christ, we must be sure to show grace to each other and nonbelievers. Whenever we show grace to others, they are more apt to hear what we have to say. Not only that but they will see Christ in what we do. Therefore, whenever we seek to share the Gospel with others be all of grace and mercy. Now, I am not arguing that we abandon the truth of the Scripture or neglect to call sin what it is. I am simply advocating that we extend grace as Christ has extended grace to us.

Paul then points out that the Lord is near. This is encouragement to the church and to us. Whether Paul means that the Lord’s return is near or whether the Lord’s presence is near is up for debate. However, as a believer, I take this to be a both/and. The Lord’s return is coming quickly and He is near to be as His child. In finding this to be a both/and meaning of Paul’s statement, we, as believers, are strongly encouraged to be living out what the Scripture is saying. Therefore, the Church will stand firm in the Lord whenever she rejoices in Him and extends the grace of Christ to those in the fellowship and those outside the fellowship knowing that the Lord is near.

Point III: The Church will stand firm when she prays.

Paul writes in verse 6-7, “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.”

Paul encourages the Philippians to seeks God in prayer. The Philippian church had faced persecution and temptation of just about every kind. They faced persecution, disunity, prideful or fake Christians, false teachers, and lack of needs. They were facing all of these issues in the Church at Philippi. Those are reasons that might cause someone to worry.

When the Coronavirus first started to sweep across the nation, we say our nation drift into a state of worry about the future. It is okay to be concerned about something, but we are called not to worry. I say this to myself as well. If anyone knows me well, worry is something that I struggle with. I will worry over some of the most pointless things. However, God’s Word calls us not to worry in this passage.

God’s Word calls us to do something else besides worry. We are called to pray here in these verses. Paul says to make your requests known to God with thanksgiving. What that means is that we take our worries to the only One who can address them. However, we are supposed to approach God with the right posture. Notice Paul states with thanksgiving. Reflect on all that God has done for you and give Him thanks and praise for all He has done. I know whenever I begin my prayer time each day by reflecting upon all that God has done for me, I oftentimes find that my worry seems so small. God has all things in control. He has provided in the past and He will provide again and again. One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture reminds me of what to do whenever I am anxious about something.

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

“Anything is a blessing which makes us pray.” -Charles Spurgeon

That verse and quote remind me to draw near to God at all times. Seek Him out because He is the One that is always there for His children. Also, anytime we are drawn to pray it is a blessing because that situation is causing us to cry out to God and seek Him. God will oftentimes use situations and concerns in our lives to draw us to Him.

Then, Paul lays out the result of prayer, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Whenever we give our worries to God, He provides peace. Every worry that we had and concern melts away under the heat of God’s peace. God provides us with peace that is above human rationale. We can trust in Him to provide.

The saying is not true that God only helps those who help themselves. It is only true that God helps those who cannot help themselves. We were all in sin and could not gain salvation on our own. We could not help ourselves. That is why God sent His Son Jesus Christ to save us. If we could help ourselves, would we need to be saved?

Will you cast your cares upon God who has the power over all?

Invitation