PHILIPPIANS 4:2-7 6/4/08 On November 19 th 2006 we finished going through the book of Philippians at chapter 4:1. Despite what others may think I like to imagine I have a tidy mind and for the last 16 months I ve had this thought, you must finish Philippians So today and over the next couple of weeks that s the plan, God willing, as my grandmother would say, then it s the church weekend away and soon it will be Mothers Day which is also Pentecost Sunday. There s a picnic at Kew Park that day. And before we know where we are there will be a general election and then it will be Christmas So onto our text Philippians 4:2-7 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. This is such a concentrated piece of teaching we could spend weeks on it. Each sentence has instruction that speaks into our experience and hopes for the future. What makes it so effective is that it begins with a not very nice situation and moves on to such lofty heights. You could say two of the themes are peace with others and peace with ourselves, yet it goes even broader and deeper than this. ISSUES IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY 1. Community conflict. What do we know about this situation? They were both part of the Philippian church community That they both shared responsibility for the conflict I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche. That they have been involved in significant Christian ministry they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel and we can presume they had been involved together in this ministry That the conflict seems to be related to ministry issues they can t resolve on their own We don t actually know how the conflict was to be resolved or if indeed if it was. I think I ve been very loathe to get involved in conflict situations between people in church. Maybe we should have a ministry leader of mediation in the church. Very early in my life as a pastor I tried to help two fairly strong people resolve a conflict. In the end they both blamed me. So I m pretty much a conflict avoiding person many of you would have noticed this. I ve got a few wounds from my time here but thanks to the grace of God and the grace of individuals they re now largely forgotten the scars are still there though they serve as reminders. I heard of a pastor who said to someone in
the congregation this church isn t big enough for the two of us and I m not leaving. I ve heard of pastors and churches that have been broken by unresolved conflict and I m thankful it hasn t been my ongoing experience. What I do take from this scripture is that unresolved conflict can damage and damage greatly - the casualties are that elusive thing called truth and the effective ministry of a community of God s people. I think of churches that take years to recover from significant conflict and churches that never recover. In the gracious economy of God some do. Now it would be foolish of me to say there s no conflict here. There are underlying differences over music -often, the place we give to children in our gatherings sometimes as in what we try to do in all age worship, the nature of leadership and there are relational conflicts between people some of which I m aware of and some of which I wouldn t want to know about. In our text Paul calls for unity, to be of the same mind in the Lord but not unity for the sake of agreement. They are to be on the same page in a very important area: in the Lord. The foundation of their unity is based in the work of Christ for them. It is not as though they must cease to be the individuals they are and become cardboard cut-outs in order to get along. Rather their unity is to be based on who Jesus is and what he has done. But note this process of unity, of agreement, is not to take place alone; it s a community project. Paul mentions another name which gives us little insight into the situation. He calls this person a true companion, a genuine colleague in Philippi, to lend a hand. Again, we know nothing about this person. The word here was used not as a name, but a description of a person. Most often it s used of a spouse, pointing to the unity of a marriage partnership. Whoever this person is it s someone who has struggled with Paul in establishing the church in Philippi. So this fellow, along with Clement and others in the church are to come alongside these women and be certain that there is unity in the church. Peace among each other isn t just the duty of individuals who aren t getting along, but is a community project. Everyone must pitch in. And the lesson I learn from this is to never to tackle these issues on my own. Mind you experience teaches me that while there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors (that s Proverbs 11:14 in the King James Version), it s not a guarantee. The important point of this teaching is that the work of God is harmed by people who don t get along for whatever reason; Christian communities are harmed by unresolved conflict when it hinders the work of the church. So who is this a word to today? Who s holding the church to ransom by living among others in ways that include unresolved differences or conflict? And what are you going to do about it? This teaching is followed by what I call Categorical imperatives - strong encouragements to live the Christ life in its fullness. Immanuel Kant introduced the Categorical imperative. He said that we are to act only according to that maxim whereby we can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. These are maxims for all Jesus followers. 1. Rejoice
Rejoice to be glad, to experience an inward sense of wellbeing, to take pleasure in the world around us. Joy and its associated words are mentioned 14 times in this book. Note this is, in the Lord, always. How is person meant to rejoice like that? How when there is an awareness of failure, fear, despair and doubt, or when you are suffering or someone you love is suffering? How when you are being persecuted for your faith or even facing death? The issue is that circumstances alone do not determine the condition of the heart and mind. And it has to be tied to a relationship with Jesus. There are other sources of joy at least there must be or thousands would turn to Jesus. The challenge here is to find our joy in his company. So! What gives you the most joy in your life? What are the things you re most glad about? Is there any joy in your relationship with Jesus? When I was on one of my student assignments at Baptist College, I met this guy who reckoned you could be rejoicing in your spirit yet be the most depressing sad sack to be around. I didn t buy it then and I don t now. This faith is not to be represented by dowdy dress, sober face and dreary ritual. And this joy is perhaps seen best, not when days are sunny and all our worlds are in harmony, but when the chips are down, dear ones are suffering, we re aware of our failures or whatever. Then we hear this call to rejoice. That s what makes this faith, this life different Joy is more than a smile, more than being dependent on circumstances, it s a by product of knowing Jesus in other words a fruit of the Spirit s work within. The characteristic of our gatherings has to be joy. I know there are times when it s appropriate to be muted in the presence of great sorrow and suffering but the normal tenor of the Christian community has to be one of joy. The first categorical imperative - REJOICE 2. Let your gentleness be evident to all. This word translated in the TNIV as gentleness is one of untranslatable words in the NT. Various attempts to give it meaning have been patience, softness, a patient mind, modesty, forbearance, meeting a person halfway. So let s start with the to all which gives us a small clue and that s being consistent with all people. And the word can mean these ideas: A gentle attitude - not pushing our way on to others or knowing when to relax the letter of the law and be merciful Moderation avoiding extremes or going overboard Tolerance or Forbearance acceptance without condoning; being open to the possibility of growth and change Big heartedness rising above petty things; seeing what s really important Considerateness thinking of others from their point of view
These thoughts are just some of the understandings behind the one word translated gentleness. Be as much like the Lord as you can for he is close to you. 3 And finally today 6 Do not be anxious about anything, A complaint Anxiety; worry thoughts from something I ve recently read, trouble is I can t remember the author worry or anxiety is linked to heart disease, cancer, migraines, and even diabetes. The Mayo Clinic in the United States actually estimates that more than 80% of their total caseload is directly related to worry on the part of their patients. One doctor said that he believed that if people could learn to stop worrying, most diseases would be cured. Not only is worry a cause of illness, it can cause spiritual chaos. When we re focusing on worry, we re not focusing on God or His purposes for us. When we spend time worrying, we can be sure we ve no time to spend in the spiritual disciplines. Worrying not only affects the way we treat God, but it also affects the way we treat other people. We become short. And it s evident when talking to somebody that our minds aren t focused on them or their conversation, but on something troublesome: Our worries. I can certainly identify with that how often have you been talking to me and I ve been preoccupied I apologize for that. Robert Wicks comments, We re living today in an anxious and worried world and multitudes of people are seeking comfort for troubled minds and tense nerves and worn out spirits. To which Paul simply says DO NOT BE ANXIOUS. Right! It s that easy. Isn t it? Let s put a couple of riders in here: Kindly concern, genuine interest in family, friends isn t wrong and let s be honest our kids did and do give us cause for concern. And there are things we ought to be concerned about our spiritual growth, our key relationships. But there are whole host of things that ought not to concern us at all! Especially worrying about things that we can t change. So do not be anxious and you won t be if you take the medicine. A cure - but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Another trite saying? To pray is to admit to ourselves and to God that we need Him. The word of God to us is that we bring to God anything that causes us to be anxious or to worry. Be specific in every situation Ask In a spirit of gratitude A consequence 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
And the peace of God Which transcends all understanding? Will guard your hearts and minds What kinds of peace? Peace that can t be contrived Peace the world cannot give Peace the world cannot understand Peace we can hardly understand Serenity and acceptance in the face of troubles, cares, anxieties, difficulties, frustrations and grief. It s my lived experience and my observation that some prefer to worry, to be anxious and to be miserable than to know peace. What do you think? Read again Philippians 4:6-7 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. To apply this to our individual situations is to experiment with eternal life? I invite you to give it a try.