Pursue Peace in God

Intro

When we think of peace, we often think of a lack of tension. Peace is actually the presence of harmony.

Pursue Peace With Siblings in Christ

Philippians 4:2 (ESV)

I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

Clearly something’s going on with Euodia and Syntyche. No idea. It reminds me once I was sitting in a service, and the pastor was preaching and all of a sudden, he stops. It was one of those moments where you knew something was up. And what he said was something to the effect of, “Can you two cut it out?” And then he mentions his daughter’s name. I think everyone in the church had eyes as big as dinner plates.

This is one of those moments. Remember, these letters aren’t circulated like a newspaper for you to go read. These are read out loud during a church gathering. Could you imagine? I mean, let’s say Euodia’s sitting over here, and Syntyche is sitting over here… Do you think they looked at each other? This must have been some disagreement to get called out… And then immortalized in the Bible! Their momma’s must be so embarrassed…

He urges them.... Agree in the Lord! Find agreement and base that agreement in Jesus Christ. He’s not saying agree to disagree. He’s saying find truth in the Lord, then agree on that!

Reconciliation is tough work. When disagreements come, we must resolve to follow the Lord together and put our differences behind.

Differences come in varying levels, you understand. At the most inconsequential level, you have preferences. Or what SHOULD be inconsequential, anyway. We should always be deferring to one another’s preferences. Too often, we allow our preferences to dictate how we treat someone.

The next has to do with beliefs. We all have different things that come up in the level of beliefs. Perfect example: You may believe that the book of Matthew was written in AD. 52. And your friend may believe that Matthew was written in AD 55. In the scholarly world, this could be a big argument. But as believers… Look, we can put that aside.

The next is doctrinal. This is where we need to find agreement in the Lord. Go to your Bible and figure it out. Bring in a trusted teacher. But I’ll bet you most of our disagreements don’t really elevate to this level.

We harp on the minors and ignore the majors too often. It’s so hard for us to get over petty things like a mistake, or an inconvenience, or a suspicion. But we’ll overlook one another’s unbiblical beliefs. Why is that? One will be forgotten in Heaven, one might keep you out of Heaven!

Paul continues:

Philippians 4:3 (ESV)

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.

Now here’s the tough part. Paul just went and did it. Dagnabbit. You know, it was easy when he said the first part, back in verse 2. But now he went and dragged us into it!

I don’t know about you, but MY normal inclination when I hear of someone’s tiff with another person is to do this number right here. (Shield eyes) I don’t want any part of it!

But you know what? The Bible tells us to help those who are in disagreement. Why is that? Because unity is so vital to the church’s witness. Unity establishes peace amongst the church body.

So we are not just to be peacekeepers, but peaceMAKERS.

Matthew 5:9 (ESV)

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

You know, sometimes something as simple as having an objective third-party can make all the difference. Someone whose main goal is helping the two of you see reality and reconcile.

And another important note here… He mentions that their names are in the Book of Life…

Skip down to v.5.

Philippians 4:5a (ESV)

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.

This reasonableness is related back up here to this disagreement. Reasonableness has to do with the way we get along with one another. We are not stirred by controversies, but rather we are united in fellowship over and above the differences we have with one another. This is a testimony to the outside world of the goodness of Christ.

And it takes reasonableness to bridge a divide.

In a few weeks, we’re going to try something. We’re going to have our first ever Unity Sunday on October 31st. Both services will come together as one, and we will worship together. We’ll have the Lord’s Supper and Baptisms that Sunday. Why are we doing that?

Because we are one body. We may have two services, but we are one body, and we need to come together in worship. Have you been to the other service in a while?

You may have problems with the date. “We celebrating Halloween at church, Hackler?” No, actually, October 31st is the day Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation. We’re really not celebrating anything, it just happens to be the last Sunday of the month.

You’re gonna love it. These two services need to come together. So mark your calendar, Sunday Oct. 31 at 10:30. Sunday School will meet at 9:15 that morning. This is a tangible way we can create peaceful harmony in our church.

Pursue the Joy that Peace Brings

Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Now, just before v. 5, we have v. 4. Don’t think that this is some random side comment. There is a direct link between rejoicing and peace in the Lord. And for Paul, this isn’t hollow advice. Listen, in our world you will find many reasons to become cynical and skeptical. You will find no shortage of reasons to disbelieve people. You will find no shortage of places where your joy will be stolen from you.

Here’s one of those areas where if you’re not convinced of the truth of the Bible, you will fall to skepticism. These words will ring hollow when you need them the most.

I encourage you to not give in to the world’s constant pulls and tugs to drag you down into the depths of disbelief.

Remember. Paul is alone in prison. Unjustly. He is chained to an imperial guardsman, his life robbed of him. Do you think Paul struggled with the creeping doubts of disbelief? I sure do.

Look, I’ve mentioned this before… To be a Pharisee, which Paul was, you had to be married. Paul’s wife probably left him when he converted to Christ. So his wife’s left him, he’s stuck in prison, he has every reason to sink into his own despair.

And THEN he says, “Rejoice in the Lord… ALWAYS.” And saying it once just isn’t enough… “Again I will say rejoice.” It’s amazing how, when you really begin to give credence to the fact that the Bible is living and active, it truly comes to life.

So what are we supposed to do? Because I don’t know about you, but I don’t always FEEL like rejoicing. I give the same advice here as I give about Bible-reading. Let the needs of your soul take point and your heart will catch up. Soon, you will learn to trust God with your emotions. Someone once asked me if it’s okay to listen to the Bible instead of read it. Absolutely! As a matter of fact, this is what the hearers of Philippians would do. They gathered to hear Paul’s letter read in their congregation. Some of us just learn better or stay focused better while listening.

I’ll tell you, I retain the most when I listen while I’m working. So if I’m painting the house or mowing the lawn, and I put headphones on or otherwise listen, it will often stick better than when I have nothing but an open book in front of me. That’s called ADD, by the way, but you know, I’m coping.

Rejoice in hearing God’s Word. Rejoice also how God designed you to rejoice. I knew an artist down in Louisiana. Staunchly biblical in her beliefs. She would rejoice in God through her painting. How could she include something in each of her paintings that points to the glory of God? Most of the time she painted things that reminded her of Christ, but even when she was doing something like a piece of furniture, she would rejoice in the Father!

There are many ways to rejoice in God. I know a hunter who gets in his deer stand and takes his bible with him… Some of y’all just got another excuse to go hunting. Sorry, honey, gotta go spend time with the Lord!

And all these different forms of rejoicing have their end in God. When we rejoice in Him, we pursue Him. And that’s a good thing, because in the end, if you truly desire peace, He is the only One who can bring it. Going back to v.5

Pursue God - He Will Bring You Peace

Philippians 4:5b (ESV)

The Lord is at hand;

“The Lord is at hand…” He is nearby. Therefore…

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Approach Him in prayer. Let your requests be made known to Him, because He is listening! In other words, don’t sit on those things that are causing you grief. Don’t sit on your needs. Let them be made known to Him. This begs the question… Why?

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Because then, the peace of God, which goes beyond understanding, will guard your heart. Listen, the heart and mind are vulnerable things. They drive us to do what we do. When left alone, the heart cries out for safeguarding. The mind seeks understanding.

John 16:33 (ESV)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

I’m reminded of the old song, what a friend we have in Jesus:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,   All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry   Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit,   O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry   Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?   Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged,   Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful   Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness,   Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,   Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge—   Take it to the Lord in prayer; Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?   Take it to the Lord in prayer; In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,   Thou wilt find a solace there.

It’s a beautiful song. Maybe you desire this kind of peace in your own life. This peace does not come without knowing Jesus, who died on the cross for your sin. To obtain the peace of God, you must know the God of Peace. You must know Jesus. There is no other way.