The Basics Of Peace

Today we come to the fourth and final chapter of the book of Philippians. It’s a chapter that contains several well-known, popular, even famous verses that we could call “coffee cup” verses, right? You know the ones? Coffee cup verses? These are verses that are on your Christian cards. They’re on wall art, calendars, throw pillows, T-shirts, your social media posts that you send around online, right?

There are number of them right here in chapter four. For example, in chapter four, verse four we see here, it says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Or chapter four, verse six: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Or chapter four, verse eight: “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 anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

And next week we’re going to see the coffee cup verse of all coffee cup verses, Philippians (You know the one I’m talking about!) Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Now the problem with coffee cup verses, of course, is that you have to put them on a coffee cup, right? There’s not a lot of room on there, and so what you have to is lift the verse out of context and slap it in isolation on the coffee cup, right? You have to divorce it from its settings. You have to take it away from the train of thought and this is a recipe for misunderstanding and misapplication.

Take, for example, the passage we’re looking at today. Open your Bibles, if you will, to Philippians 4:1­–9. This is page 982 in the pew Bible there. And because so many of these verses are coffee cup verses, we tend to read sections of Scripture like this as a collection of various unrelated life principles. But there’s actually a cohesive train of thought here. Let me show you what I’m saying here. They seem so unrelated to our first reading.

Chapter 4, verse 1: “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” Verse 2: “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 written 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.”

Now at first glance these might seem like disconnected and disjointed topics, you know, themes here. Various advice on a various matter of topics, but there’s actually a cohesive flow of thought here, and it’s running through these verses. Once you see it you won’t be able to un-see it. It will just (snaps fingers) pop out to you, but everything’s thematically linked. The context is our guide. Right?

Verse two. Notice that right at the top here Paul says, “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.” So there’s a relational conflict that is occurring between these two ladies, and Paul is writing to say, “Listen, you need to work it out.” And then he writes all of these commands which are clustered into two basic paragraphs, and they end (verses 4 to 7 and 8 to 9), they end with strikingly similar statements, don’t they? Verse 7, “The peace of God will guard your hearts and minds,” and verse 9, “The God of peace will be with you.”

So this passage opens up with an entreaty for these women to find a way to make relational peace with one another, and then with these two paragraphs of commandments, chased with the promise of God’s peace that will be theirs if they obey these commands.

Do you see the theme now? Do you see the theme? It’s actually connecting all of this. It’s peace. It’s relational peace. It’s peace in the family of God, and as a matter of fact, everything in this passage is actually pushing toward this one end, which is relational peace and harmony within the body of Christ.

There are three keys to peace-filled relationships we’re going to see this morning. Paul’s going to summarize them. I’ve just put captions on them for us. Remembering our family; this is the first key. Remembering our family. Second key: Requesting of our Father. Our third key: Refocusing our framework.

Remembering our family, Requesting of our Father, and Refocusing our framework.

And friends, Satan loves to sow discord and [dis]unity into the church, doesn’t he? This is how he derails God’s people. He’s not creative, but he’s effective, right? He runs the same play over and over again. So these three keys to peace are essential to the unity of the church in thwarting the efforts of Satan.

We’ve got to win this, every one of us, so let’s pray and ask the Lord to be our teacher.

Father, we come to you with a part of our lives that is difficult. None of us are free from discord and relational brokenness. We need your peace. Teach us, we pray for Jesus’ sake, Amen. Amen.

So the first key to peace here is remembering our family. Remembering our family. Chapter 4, verse 1: “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” Notice the deep affection and familial language here. He says, “My brothers (which includes in the Greek “sisters” as well), my brothers and sisters, my family in Christ, whom I love and long for.” Such affection and yearning, isn’t it? “My joy and crown, my delight, my treasure, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

“I’m about to say some tough things to you, but I want you to remember my heart, remember my love, remember how much I am for you,” Paul is saying, “because you’ve got to stand firm. Some of you are already losing your footing. It’s disaster waiting to happen.”

Verse 2, “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.” Can you imagine being one of these two ladies, your names enscripturated forever like this? Ahh! Epaphroditus comes with this letter from Paul. He’s going to read it on Sunday morning in front of all the church. Everything’s going along so fine, you know? And then all of a sudden you hear your name? You just want to melt into the seat and disappear, you know?

Now, we have no idea what this conflict is all about. Somehow these ladies got sideways with each other. There was hurt and anger and resentment and bitterness on both sides. They’d each enlisted their friends and allies in the fight, and they’d taken sides. You know the story. They were probably avoiding eye contact as they walked around talking about each other behind their back, thinking ugly thoughts whenever their face came to mind. In other words, they were human, and people just like us. They trusted in the saving work of Jesus Christ for their salvation, but there was still sin in their lives, in their hearts.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I get in conflict, when I feel like I’ve been wounded, almost without trying, I tend to become self-absorbed in my pain. I get self-absorbed. Do you? I start focusing on my rights that were violated, my expectations that were unmet, my toes that were stepped on. How my needs have been disregarded, my voice has been devalued. I’ve become preoccupied with my wants, my needs, my interests, my views, my … {me, me, me) because when we’re wounded we tend to cave in ourselves, don’t we? We become self-absorbed, and notice how Paul is counteracting that sinful tendency here, that tendency toward self-absorption. “I entreat Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord…” In the Lord! Not agree on the issue, not agree to disagree (just compromise) but agree in the Lord. In the Lord!

“Euodia, Syntyche, I want you to remember who you are in the Lord. You are beloved daughters of God. You’re the ones that I love and long for. You’re my joy and my crown. You are beloved daughters of God, sisters in the Lord. I want you to agree in the Lord, in the Lord who loves you and is drawing both of you to Himself as sisters united together in His forever family. I entreat you. Agree in the Lord.”

And then he enlists help here. Verse 3: “Yes, I ask you also, my true companion, help these women, who 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.” And we have no idea who this true companion is, okay? Although it would have been obvious to the Philippian believers who it was. This person probably knows both ladies and is there to serve in some capacity as a third party mediator in this conflict.

But notice again how Paul’s descriptions remind these ladies of the Gospel connection that binds them together to one another. He says they “have labored side by side with me in the gospel.”

They are co-laborers in the work of the Gospel; they have served side by side with Paul and Clement (who becomes one of the church fathers) all the rest of the workers in the work of the Gospel. “Remember,” Paul says, “you’re on the same team. You are on the same team. This is friendly fire. Your names are written in the Book of Life. All of us here belong to Jesus. We’re in His forever family. We’re going to spend eternity together.

Do you see what Paul is doing here in these descriptions? He’s setting their squabble in the larger context of the saving work of Christ, which will echo into all eternity. He’s not minimizing their conflict. He’s not surmising Christ. You see this. He’s saying, “In light of the beauty of the Gospel and the glory of eternity, and the preciousness of your salvation, which has now knit you together as a forever family in the Lord Jesus Christ, what’s this fight about again? What are you fighting about?”

You see, Paul is counteracting their simple tendency to self-absorption. He says, “Remember, you are family.” In Christ we are bound together as a forever family. We have far more in common than what separates us. Christ has paid a great price to unify His body and we dare not tear it apart.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, one Gospel, one family, one body in Christ! Friends, we’re going to spend eternity together. We might as well learn to get along here. You see that?

So this is the first key to peace. Remember our family. Remember our family.

The second key is Requesting of our Father. Requesting of our Father. Verse 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Notice he does not say, “Rejoice in your circumstances.” He does not say, “Rejoice in getting your own way,” or “rejoice in coming out on top.” What does he say? “Rejoice in the Lord!” He said, “Agree in the Lord.” Now, “Rejoice in the Lord.”

I want you to remember that the Lord is your joy. He’s your life. He’s your everything. I want you to look to Him for fulfillment. Look to Him for hope. Look to Him for your identity. Look to Him for your purpose and satisfaction. I want you to rejoice in the Lord. Euodia, Syntyche, do not let this conflict steal your joy, your joy in the Lord. Do not let this make you bitter and angry and cynical. Remember, your joy comes from the Lord. Draw deeply from your relationship in Christ and all the resources that are yours in Him. Pursue Him every day of your lives because He is your life, He is your joy, He is your all, so look to Him. Rejoice in Him!

Verse 5: “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.”

Reasonableness; I love that word. It can also be translated “gentleness.” Let everyone see how gentle and reasonable you are, how fairhanded, even-tempered, considerate, thoughtful, receptive, teachable you are. Listen because, friends, in conflict, character matters, doesn’t it? In conflict, character matters. The Lord is at hand. He’s coming back at any minute, and He is right now with you in the room which means two things. Number one: accountability. Everything we think, say, and do is laid bare before the eyes of the Lord. There are no private actions, there are no private conversations, there are no private thoughts. But it also means, secondly, availability. The Lord is with you, and He can help you. You’re not alone. He’s with you in this conflict, providing resources and aid to help you navigate this in a Christ-like way. You can look to Him. You can ask Him for help.

Verse 6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Don’t be anxious about anything right now in the middle of this conflict. How many of you get anxious in conflict? Come on, I know it’s more than just me. Yeah, you get anxious. Why wouldn’t you be anxious? Remember, this is not a topic shift. Paul is still addressing relational conflict and peace within the body of Christ. What would Euodia and Syntyche be anxious about? Well, they’re anxious about not getting their way. “What if this doesn’t turn out the way I want?” Whatever they were fighting about, at a heart level it always comes down to frustrated desires, doesn’t it? And not getting what we want.

James 4:1–2 says, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have…” All of our conflict can be traced to a common root, which is frustrated desires. We don’t get what we want and so we get mad. We’re toddlers like that, and in conflict, not only do we tend to be self-absorbed. We also tend to become self-reliant. We think it’s our job to make sure we get what we want. No one else is going to look out for us, right? We’ve got to look out for us, and make sure our views are heard, and sure our plan is upheld, and make sure our way is followed out. And friends, anxiety is symptomatic of self-reliance. Anxiety is symptomatic of self-reliance because we’re trying to control things, and control people that we have no control over and that makes us anxious. Do you see how Paul is counteracting their simple tendencies to self-reliance here? He says, “Make your requests known to your Father. Instead of trying to control everything to get what you want, what if you actually made your requests known to the Father? What if you prayed as if you have a good Father who loves to give good gifts to His children and knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him? Instead of living in self-reliance, which leads inevitably to anxiety, why don’t you pray in God-reliance, which will lead to peace?

“And don’t forget to pray with thanksgiving,” Paul says, because God is already giving you so many good gifts. He’s already taking care of you in so many ways. Don’t forget what He’s done. Thank Him for it because He will not stop now.

In verse 7, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” This word “guard,” remember where Paul is. He’s under house arrest. This is a Roman sentinel which guards him. This is the picture. The peace of God is like a sentinel, a guard who is keeping you bound and at home. In other words, our hearts tend to wander off on their own, don’t they? Our hearts and minds wander off, try to control outcomes, try to argue our point, try to look out for our own interest, make sure we get our way.

We’re wandering from home, but the peace of God stands guard to make sure our hearts and minds stay home in Jesus Christ, tethered to Him in every way. The peace of God arrests our self-will. The peace of God binds our self-interest. The peace of God shackles our self-reliance. Do you see this? The peace of God reminds us that we’re not orphans left to fend for ourselves. We are beloved sons and daughters of a good Father who is looking out for our every need. Orphans have to run off and fend for themselves, don’t they? But sons and daughters stay home, and find rest in their father’s care.

The peace of God, Paul says, stands guard, keeps us at home that we might live as sons and daughters, trusting in the provision of our good Father instead of running off to live as orphans, as if our only hope was fending for ourselves.

Do you see how Paul is counteracting against the sinful tendency toward self-reliance? He says, “Make your requests known to your Father,” because in Christ we learn to entrust our hearts’ desires to God. In Christ we learn to entrust our hearts’ desires to God.

When my heart’s desires get frustrated, I have a choice. I can bring forcibly my heart’s desires to bear on others, insisting that I get what I want, which will lead to conflict. Yes? Or I can bring my heart’s desires before God, trusting Him with what I most deeply want and need, and relaxing in His care which then leads to peace. It’s a choice between running unrestrained as an anxious orphan through life, or resting tightly held as a peaceful child in the arms of his father. This is the trust.

So the first key to peace is Remembering Our Family. The second key is Requesting Of Our Father. The third is Refocusing Our Framework.

Look at verse 8. “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.”

Now, growing up, I always heard this verse in connection with music and movies. You know, you sort of watch what you put in the system. Garbage in, garbage out! Right? This is how I heard this verse, and that’s a good principle, but it’s not what this verse is actually about because remember these verses are about peace-filled relationships within the family of God. So how did these verses connect? Well, when we’re in conflict we have a tendency to do something in our minds which is villainize the other person. We tend to keep a list of all the things they’ve done wrong. “They started it first, and I only did what I did because they did what they did, and what they did was worse and they’re not very trustworthy. In fact, they’re a bad person and here’s all the reasons why. They’re always like that.”

Is it just my brain that does that? No? In other words, we tend to think about the things that then justify our poor behavior to them, don’t we? “Maybe I did yell, but they deserved it. Maybe I got angry, but they started it. Oh, I may have hurt them, but it’s nothing to the wound they inflicted on me.” See, in conflict it’s way too easy to reduce the other person in our minds to the sum total of their failures. That way we can look down on them and write them off and justify ourselves. In other words, we start to live in self-justification. Self-justification. You have self-absorption, self-reliance, and now self-justification. This is a bad list, guys.

Again, Paul is counteracting their sinful tendency to self-justification in these verses. He says, “Refocus your framework,” refocus your mental framework. Instead of reducing the other person to the sum total of their failures, I want you to look for the glimpses of Christ that are visible in their life.

Whatever’s true, whatever is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy, you think about these things. You think about these things. I want you to look at them the way Christ looks at you, listen, cause we’re all marbled beings, aren’t we? We have great beauty and brokenness all at the same time marbled together, and Christ sees it all. We could focus on any part of that. What does He focus on? Christ does not reduce us to the sum total of our failures and dismiss us. No, He sees the potential of who we were created to be, who we are becoming in redemption, and who we will one day be conformed to be like in glory. He sees the glory breaking through. He looks at us and He sees what is true, and honorable, and just, and pure, and lovely, and commendable, and excellent, and praiseworthy. He sees us as sons and daughters of God. How very generous! How incredibly charitable!

“Euodia, I want you to extend the same generous charity to Syntyche. I want you to look for what is true, and honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. And where you see the glorious image of God coming out of her life, I want you to think about that.”

“And Syntyche, I want you to extend the same generous charity to Euodia. Whatever’s true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy, think about that. Focus on Christ in her, the hope of glory. And by the way, I’m modeling this for you all the way through.”

Verse 9: “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 says, “Look, why do you think I opened this letter with thanksgiving to God for your partnership in the Gospel, and your abounding love for one another? Why do you think I reminded you that you are beloved brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, before I said any of this? Why do you think I reminded you of your co-laboring in the Gospel? Your name is written forever in the eternal book of life in Christ. Euodia and Syntyche, I refuse to reduce you to the sum total of your failures in this moment of conflict. I am fixing my heart and mind on the glories of Christ that are being formed in you, so now follow my lead. As I follow Christ, follow me. Whatever you have learned, or received, or heard or seen in me, practice it. Model yourself after what I’m doing. Try on for size what I’m patterning for you. Come and learn the way of Jesus. And the God of peace will be with you. You’re not alone because as you begin to see what God sees, and value what God values, and attend to what God is attending to in one another, you will begin to live in peace, with peace-filled thinking, and peace-filled intentions toward one another, peace-filled wishes for each other, peace-filled tones as you speak peace-filled actions as you interact. As you keep in step with the God of peace, you will learn to live in peace.”

And don’t you see? Paul is again, he’s counteracting their sinful tendencies toward self-justification. Refocus your framework, your mental map here. In Christ, we attend to God’s good work in one another. In Christ, we attend to God’s good work in one another.

So here’s the question, guys and gals. Where do we see Christ in those who are driving us nuts? Where do you see Christ in those who are driving you nuts? In Jesus Christ, no one is a lost cause. Where do you see the glory of God leaking out of obnoxious people? Where do you see the good work of God on the job, in people who actually hurt you from time to time?

Christ is on the job. It’s our job to pay attention to what He’s doing, because He who began a good work in them will carry it on to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

So, takeaway: Brothers and sisters, let us agree in the Lord. Let us agree in the Lord.

Three quick questions. They’re not on the screens here. But would you just write these down and think about this, pray about this? Let the Lord do work in your heart about this. I’m going to do this this week too. It’s going to be profoundly uncomfortable, I promise you, but it’s worthwhile.

First question: Who do I need to apologize to? Who do I need to apologize to?

Second question: Who do I need to forgive? Who do I need to forgive?

And the third question: With whom do I need to make peace? With whom do I need to make peace?

Because remember we’re family! And in Christ we are bound together as the forever family of God. And even in the midst of all this conflict we can request of our Father, because in Christ, we are learning to entrust our hearts’ desires to Him, and we can refocus our framework. In Christ, we can learn to attend to God’s good work in one another. The God of peace will be with you. He will be with me. So let’s lean on Him.

Would you pray with me?

Father, we long to live in peace-filled joyous relationships in Christ. Father, we confess that when we are operating in our own strength, in our own instincts, in our own habits, we make a royal mess of this, but we thank you that you are not finished, and that we are not alone. You have made peace with God by sending Jesus Christ on our behalf. You have made peace within the body, destroyed this hostility that divides the world, but you are uniting people very different from one another in Christ. Help us to live in this peace to metabolize your goodness at work in our lives, to trust you.

Father, help us to forgive. Help us to humble ourselves to apologize. Teach us how to make peace for the glory of your name. We pray this for Jesus’ sake, Amen.