And the God of Peace Will Be With You
Notes
Transcript
The one Main goal of the Christian life and even the life of the church is to walk with God. Unhindered and enjoying deep fellowship with him and one another.
the scriptures we are about to look at our very helpful for us to learn how to walk with God together.
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.
these are some great memorable and memorizable verses from Philippians.
this entire book is full of great weapons of spiritual warfare.
Five commands for us that enable us to walk with God together. As a church.
Five commands for us that enable us to walk with God together. As a church.
First Command...
Unify For The Sake of Our Mission
Unify For The Sake of Our Mission
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.
“I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.”
Eventually, every church will experience divisions and disagreements. Some will be so severe that others will need to call those disagreeing to repent of pride and get back to the basics!
This is essentially what Paul is telling Euodia and Syntyche to do.
Can you imagine forever having your name in the scriptures because you were arguing and disgruntled with a brother or sister in Christ?
This has to be embarrassing!
Imagine if I did this from the pulpit. That’s essentially what Paul is doing!
Unity in Christ and living in harmony with one another in our church family is of supreme importance to God. That’s why this type of rebuke is here.
It’s so important, that Paul not only calls them out, but he commands the church leader reading this letter to get involved!
“Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women,”
Remember Jesus’ own words in Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Consider what James says about wisdom from above in James 3:17-18
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Christians have the privilege of working for peace in this world. And this is of the most importance within our church family.
My good friend pastors a church in North Carolina, he recently told me about some hard conversations he’s initiating in his church. One man, who serves on a committee, refuses to serve with another man, because of a financial disagreement they had years ago. The other guy want’s to work it out. But the man with bitterness refuses. Because this man refuses to be reconciled and is still speaking venom about his brother, their church is likely going to have to revoke his membership. All because this brother refused to “agree in the Lord”.
Maybe your wondering why something like this has the potential to lead to church discipline?
Simply put: The Mission Matters Most
look what else Paul says...
“help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers,”
Paul references their past ministry for the gospel as a primary reason for why the must be reconciled.
Do you know how difficult it is to fulfill the great commission together when we have bickering, backbiting, and disagreements over open handed issues!?
I say open handed because, we are speaking of issues that aren’t salvific in nature, or heretical, etc.
Some disagreements on doctrine are understandable. and perhaps they may be too important to continue supporting a mission. (like signs and wonders ministry, food pantry focus, whatever.. I’m not knocking these)
When we are stuck in a rut of disagreements and bitterness, not only is our witness negatively effected, but we are also inviting satan in to take hold of our church. We don’t want this.
We don’t want anything to divert us from our mission. And Paul reminds us of why we are on the mission and where we are headed.
“ 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.”
God has saved us from hell!
God has saved the church brother or sister you are disagreeing with from hell.
Guess what, if you can’t stand the sight of each other here, in church. What does that mean about you spending all of eternity with each other!
Not only that, you both are supposed to be locking hand in hand in order to call others into the book of life!
The Mission Matters Most!
Unify For The Sake of Our Mission
Unify For The Sake of Our Mission
Second Command...
Exult In Christ’s Upcoming Return
Exult In Christ’s Upcoming Return
Our rejoicing in the reality of Christ’s coming return produces reasonableness and patience when suffering.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
Sadly, I believe that the majority of Christians are in a constant state of lamenting and discouragement.
Depression. Lacking focus on what God has done, is doing, and will do.
Paul says, Rejoice!
Rejoice!
Have you noticed that people who rejoice are some of the most easy people to live with? Most are more reasonable than those who always see problems with everything.
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone”
This might be pointing to Paul commanding rejoicing in Christ because it leads to church unity and causes quarreling and fights to occur less often.
People who rejoice are reasonable and people see the light of Christ in them because they have “JOY”
Re - Joy - ce
JOY (שִׂמְחָה, simchah; χαρά, chara). Closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion; a result of choice.
Notice the LBD says that joy is a result of choice...
How?
Joy is determined by what your outlook is.
Are you wallowing in defeat?
Or Are you rejoicing at Christ’s past and coming victory?
“The Lord is at hand;”
Those who know and love Jesus are excited about the definite reality of his coming.
It is “at hand”
Those who pretend to know and love Jesus probably aren’t excited about the definite reality of his coming.
They probably don’t view it as a “definite reality”
They probably don’t see it nearer and nearer.
The near and upcoming return of our King is glorious and joyful to those who are in Christ.
The near and upcoming return of our King should terrify those who are only pretending!
Are you pretending?
If you love the reality of Christ’s upcoming return, then rejoice in it! Daily! Every day!
Remind yourself of it!
Exult In Christ’s Upcoming Return
Exult In Christ’s Upcoming Return
Third command...
Overcome Anxiety With Prayer and Thanksgiving
Overcome Anxiety With Prayer and Thanksgiving
I’m sure this is going to speak to everyone today. Given our current covid situation.
This has produced more anxiety in our country than any other moment in my lifetime.
It is effecting everyone.
I think this anxiety that Paul is referring to is anxiety produced by conflicts within church relationships. Probably, the anxiety from feeling things aren’t going to resolve until the other person sees things your way.
But, the principles are true for all things.
Look at what Paul tells us to do in order to combat anxiety.
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.
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
God isn’t oblivious to our human experience. The Bible isn’t silent on the matters that plague humanity.
Anxiety is acknowledged. Dread is acknowledged. Because they are real aspects of the human experience.
We experience anxiety because we live in a fallen, broken world
God knows this.
While this begins with a negative command - meaning, we are told not to do something. God doesn’t just leave us with the edict. He doesn’t just say “don’t be anxious”. He says to put on something.
Put off anxiety, and put on prayer and thanksgiving.
This says...
1. Go to God with your concerns
2. Thank God for all you can.
Drown out the noice of anxiety with the reality of God.
Essentially, voice the bad thing to God
and voice the good thing to God. All the things he has done that you have benefited from.
“God, I’m scared about my future. I don’t know when I will find a new job. I am afraid I might be homeless. I’m afraid I wont get to do the thing I love anymore!”
But thank you for how you’ve sustained me all the way till this point. Thank you for my church family. Thank you for the air in my lungs. Thank you for the cross of Jesus. Thank you that I have a home with you.
“God, I’m so anxious about this disagreement I have with my brother. I think I’m right. I think this can only resolve when he admits it and apologizes. God give me grace right now. Help me to see what you see.”
“But thank you for putting him into my life. Thank you for the amazing ways he helps our church. How he serves in ways I can’t. Thank you for redeeming both of us through the cross of Jesus Christ.”
Drown out the noise of anxiety with the reality of God.
Thank God for the things you experience through “Common Grace”
Life, food, taste, a home to live in, friendship.
Thank God for the things you experience through “Redeeming Grace”
Life in Christ, food of His word, tasting that the Lord is good, a home in glory. Eternity with Christ and your church family in glory.
What happens when you do this?
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
You access God’s peace.
Protection from heaven.
The ability to think clearly in Christ.
God can guard you and guard the church.
If you want this, you must...
Overcome Anxiety With Prayer and Thanksgiving
Overcome Anxiety With Prayer and Thanksgiving
Third command...
Meditate On The Goodness of God
Meditate On The Goodness of God
In one another!
This sort of builds upon the idea of thanksgiving. But, this is not about what you say to God, but what you say to yourself!
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.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is...”
“true” - Constant, valid, not false, - possibly meaning, don’t believe a lie.
“honorable” - Something that evokes respect,
“just” - BDAG “the quality or characteristic of upright behavior, uprightness, righteousness”
“whatever is pure” - BDAG“an attribute of the divinity and everything belonging” - God is pure & holy, and has made, is making, and will make his church pure & holy.
“whatever is lovely” - pleasant.
“whatever is commendable” - deserving praise.
“if there is any excellence,” - any outstanding or admirable quality.
“if there is anything worthy of praise,” -
Paul says...
“Think about these things.”
It is extremely likely that Paul is telling us to dwell on these attributes that we see in one another. Consider, the fact that this is just after Paul call out a church disagreement. A fight among the brethren. These are attributes of God, and things that only God can produce in us, therefore, they are aspects of his goodness.
I think Paul is essentially saying, “dwell on the grace of God being manifested in each other.”
It’s true, that we should also dwell on these things about God. But, I think Paul is saying this regarding one another given the place at which he is writing this.
Two ways to apply this...
Learn to think on the goodness of God.
I would say, “Where the mind leads, so goes the man”
Proverbs 23:7 NASB
For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
He says to you, “Eat and drink!”
But his heart is not with you.
Learn to believe the best about one another.
Some of the best marriage advice I received was to believe the best about my wife.
When disagreements or miscommunication occurs in the body of Christ, we have to believe the best about each other.
Honestly, this takes more work than it does to think the worst about someone.
Think about it! How easy is it for us to jump to the worst possible conclusion about someone?
Think about how hard it is to break that chain of thinking.
It’s hard, but you must do it!
Meditate On The Goodness of God
Meditate On The Goodness of God
In one another...
Fourth command...
Practice What I’ve Lived and Preached
Practice What I’ve Lived and Preached
All the things Paul commanded where things he applied to himself.
Every gospel message Paul preached was a gospel message he sought to flesh out.
I pray I do the same. I want to be able to say that to you all too.
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Paul really believed that he practiced integrity and preached with integrity.
This is something that convicts me deeply:
“Am I preaching and living God’s authentic message?
“Do people really hear the truth from me? And if so, do I effectively live out what I preach?
You be the judge.
I will say this...
If you see anything that looks or sounds like Jesus from me, know it’s from him, not me.
And whatever of Jesus you have seen in me or heard from me, apply it to yourself.
If I fail you one day, believe me, I’ll mess up, and I do mess up, look at the parts of Jesus you have seen and imitate those parts.
Your goal, my goal, is to walk daily in the presence of God.
“practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
That’s the goal. We want to experience fellowship with God.
Obeying the commands Paul has given in this section will enable us to do so.
Practice What I’ve Lived and Preached
Practice What I’ve Lived and Preached