Sermon for MHBC (14 November 2021). You can listen on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or our website. Live at 11:00am on Sundays. Also available as a podcast here or by searching “Monument Heights Baptist Church” in your favorite podcast app.
How many of you have experienced what we might call “politics” in the church? I’m talking about deception, angling, strategizing, gossip, accusation, etc. Such behavior destroys the health and witness of the congregation and it also destroys relationships.
Our text for this morning shows us a pathway through that political manipulation. After all, that sort of behavior shouldn’t characterize the church. Instead, we fix our minds on the riches of our faith. We focus on the gospel. We focus on imitating Christ. We focus on filling our heads with the truths of our faith.
This text captures so many of the important themes throughout the letter. And it shows us what a Christian community can look like.
1. STAND FIRM
Let’s start in v. 1: Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Notice Paul’s affection in this verse. He describes these brothers and sisters as those whom he loves and longs for. He calls them his joy and crown. And then refers to them again with an address of endearment: beloved.
This verse could have gone with last week’s sermon as the conclusion. Remember last week Paul talks about pressing on and fixing our mind on things above. To all that he says, “Stand firm in the Lord.”
But on the other hand this verse also connects to what we are looking at this morning. Standing firm in the Lord means adhering to the faith that has been delivered to us. It includes things like being conformed to Christ like Paul has already talked about. It includes acting in the humility of Christ. It includes Christian unity around the gospel of Jesus. It includes rejoicing in the Lord.
It’s captured well in another verse from Paul. Second Thessalonians 2:15 says: So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. See, the idea is to maintain the faith. We will see this idea develop as we go on. Next, Paul turns his attention to an instance of interpersonal conflict within the church.
2. AGREE IN THE LORD
Look at vv. 2–3: 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.
There’s two women—Euodia and Syntyche—who need to agree in the Lord. That’s really the key phrase: “Agree in the Lord.” It’s a key phrase because it’s an idea highlighted throughout the letter to the Philippians.[1] For example, in 2:2, he talks about “being of the same mind.” Then just a few verses later, as he’s explaining the need for humility, he says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (v. 5). In other words, Paul calls us to think like Christ, not looking after our own concerns only. Instead, we prioritize others in service and humility. So, we can summarize Paul’s remedy for relational tension. The remedy for relational tension is “agreeing in the Lord” and pursuing the mind of Christ (see Phil 2:5).
This highlights the importance of trust and shared values. Love and unity may seem impossible in our world, but the key to this is focusing on Christ. We won’t get much of anywhere if we just try really hard to be more humble. However, if we are focused on the gospel, if we are focused on pursuing Christ, if we are focused on conformity to Christ, if we are focused on making much of Christ, then Christian love is entirely possible.
Some of the most helpful instruction for this text comes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book Life Together. I’ll use him now for one point and return to him for a second point in a few minutes. In Life Together, Bonhoeffer writes about the difference between human love and spiritual love (or Christian love). He says the following: “[S]piritual love proves itself in that everything it says and does commends Christ.”[2]
See if the goal is Christ, if the goal is the gospel, then everything is about that. When Paul asks Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord, he’s asking them to make the main the thing the main thing. The Christian life is all about conforming to Christ. It’s not about whose opinion is better. It’s not about petty conflicts. In the Christian community, there must be a clear commitment to the gospel. We can have a variety of different opinions, but if we are pursuing Christ as we saw in chapter three, then we can still agree in the Lord.
Back to this Bonhoeffer line. The first question to ask in the church is not: Does this meet my desires and opinions? The first question to ask is: Does this exalt our Lord Jesus? Does this bear witness to the gospel?
Now with conflict comes anxiety. Paul further explains the remedy for that, which is rejoicing in the Lord and prayer.
3. REJOICING AND REQUESTS
Look at v. 4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.Again, this is key. We fix our mind on what Christ has done through gratitude. If what Christ has done doesn’t produce joy in us, then it may be that we must start there. If we are prone to conflicts or we are constantly in the midst of a power grab or if we are constantly frustrated, then we need to take a step back and seek to be filled with gratitude for the gospel.
So rejoicing is step one. Then there’s the next idea in v. 5: Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.First we need to talk about the word translated reasonableness. It’s not the best translation. You’ll notice that many of your translations use the word gentleness or something related. That’s a step in the right direction. It has the idea of being yielding, tolerant, and kind.[3] We can see how that fits into the context. There’s conflict, specifically involving two individuals. Paul instructs them to put their willingness to yield, their gentleness, on full display. Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
And he grounds this in the idea that the Lord is near. Unsurprisingly, there’s some debate about what this means. It’s a very similar phrase to Jesus’s when He says that the Kingdom of God is at hand or near. It could mean that the Lord is always present with His people. It could also mean that the Lord is returning soon. Calvin took this a step further and argued that the phrase refers to the providence of God.[4] Put another way, the reason they can be yielding is because they can trust that the Lord is in control. Calvin summarizes this really well, writing: “[W]e learn that this is the only remedy for tranquillizing our minds—when we repose unreservedly in his providential care, as knowing that we are not exposed either to the rashness of fortune, or to the caprice of the wicked, but are under the regulation of God’s fatherly care. In fine, the man that is in possession of this truth, that God is present with him, has what he may rest upon with security.”
Knowing that the Lord is in control and that He cares for His people allows us to have a gentle attitude. We don’t need to control the situation. Paul continues with v. 6: do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.So he has said, “Let your gentleness be made known.” Now he says, “Let your requests be made known.”
When he says, “Don’t be anxious about anything,” he is saying something that is nearly identical to what Jesus says in Matthew 6. There, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life” (v. 25). And Jesus, in closing that section, gives the following instruction: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33).
Jesus’s instruction is to focus first on the kingdom of God. Paul is saying essentially the same thing. Stand firm in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. And here he says, “Let your requests be made known to the Lord.” And notice thanksgiving or gratitude is specified, so we have that connection to rejoicing.
Now what does this have to do with interpersonal conflict and reconciliation?
Again, Bonhoeffer is helpful: “Thus this spiritual love will speak to Christ about a brother more than to a brother about Christ. It knows that the most direct way to others is always through prayer to Christ and that love of others is wholly dependent upon the truth in Christ.”[5] The way interactions in the church happen should differ from the world. Christian love, as Bonhoeffer says, is wholly dependent upon the truth in Christ. A sure path to reconciliation is bringing a brother or sister before the Lord in prayer.
And there’s a promised result in v. 7: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Remember peace can carry a broader sense than simply feeling at ease. It can also refer to bringing peace to the situation. Instead of anxiety, fear, and conflict, there’s peace. But that’s contingent on focusing on the faith, rejoicing in the Lord, and making our requests known to the Lord.
4. THINK ON THESE THINGS
Then Paul says there are certain things to think about. Each of these things is captured throughout the letter in the example of Christ and those who follow Him. Rather than focusing on our desires and our interests. We focus on the truths of the faith that has been given to us. Look at vv. 8–9: 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.
Again, what is the result of practicing the faith? It is peace. More than that, actually. The God of peace will be with us.
5. APPLICATION
Angling, mistrust, bad faith, gossip, accusations, depicting others in the worst possible light, these are not the characteristics of Christ-followers. Here we have a passage of what healthy relationships look like within the Christian community. And we have concrete steps for seeing that realized.
Doesn’t this sound appealing? Isn’t this the sort of community that we would associate with Christ? But unfortunately, it’s not surprising that this isn’t always the experience. Often the experience is exactly the opposite. But we are called to press into our faith, to be conformed to Christ, to practice our faith. When we do this, we have the promise that the God of peace will be with us.
[1] Paul’s use of φρονέω in Philippians exceeds every other book in the NT.
[2] Life Together, p. 36.
[3] BDAG s. v. ἐπιεικής (p. 371).
[4] Calvin’s Commentary on Philippians 4:5.
[5] Life Together, pp. 36–7.