Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Philippians

Philippians 4:2-5 08/24/03

Introduction: ‘A man was taking a drive in the country, when his car suddenly stopped running.  He had coasted to the side of the road and lifted the hood when an old horse came clip-clopping by.  The horse never slowed down, it just looked down at the car and the man and said, "Better check the gasoline." The man was shocked.  He ran to the nearest farmhouse and frantically knocked on the door.  When an old farmer opened the door, the man told the farmer what had happened. "Was this a horse with a floppy ear?" asked the farmer. "Yes, Yes!" the man shouted. "Oh, well," the farmer said, "don't believe everything he says, he doesn't know the first thing about cars."

Illustration: ‘A husband and a wife were leaving the office of a marriage counselor.  The husband turned to the wife as they walked to the car and said, "Well, did the advice the counselor give about tact and consideration, finally get through your thick skull?"’ (good advice taken badly)

And then there is just plain bad advice.
 -I have a hot tip on a stock …it’s called Enron.
 -Take a bite, come one whose gonna know, Adam isn’t around. What’s it gonna hurt? Said the serpent to Eve.

There is a lot that can be done with advice. We can use it. Can it, put it on a back burner for later consideration, we can even take good advice and use it badly as the women who came out of marital counseling did.

Given a moment or two I am sure that each of us can think back on some bad advice that we have received or perhaps even given.

Explanation: The Apostle Paul loved his Christian friends at Philippi. And last week we learned that with all the role models and examples looking for a following, he wanted to be sure they were following the right example.

This week he goes a bit further. With all the people wanting to give advice on how to live the Christian life, Paul is concerned that his friends follow the right advice.
And for Paul, the right advice is anything that will lead people to a deeper knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Transition: So, what is the right advice to follow for the Christian who wants to cross the finish line of life and receive the prize of Christlikeness? Let see.

Philippians 4:2-3
Illustration: A Pastor, on the phone: "Bad news, Bishop. Our church-planting team is divided on whether to call the new congregation 'First United Church' or 'United First Church.'"   Ed Koehler, Leadership,  vol. 8, no. 4.

Let’s face facts. Sometimes people just don’t get along. It’s natural. But Paul is saying in Christ, we no longer live by the natural way of things. This kind of behavior is not pleasing to God and not representative of the supernatural life of the Christian.

Paul is pleading with two believers to be reconciled. These were two women who had worked alongside Paul in sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were faithful Christians who just let self get in the way.  It was causing disunity in the church and Paul knew the importance of oneness in the church.

Notice that Paul doesn’t take sides. And he doesn’t pull rank. Also notice that whatever the problem was, it is not revealed, neither is who was at fault. Why? Because it is the responsibility of BOTH the women to make things right, to come to an agreement...in the Lord.

Whatever the quarrel was about, the real problem was that they both had forgotten their common ground in Jesus Christ.
    -They had forgotten that everything else was less important than that common ground.
    -They had forgotten that Jesus had already set up a way to become reconciled. It is in Matt. 18:15-17.

The steps to reconciliation are clear.
 1. Talk to as many people about how this other person has offended you.
 2. Go to the church leadership and tell them to do something with so and so.
 3. Give the one you are at odds with the cold shoulder.
 4. If all else fails…leave the church.

What? That is not what Matt. 18 says? Then why is it the way we usually do it? What does Matt. 18:15-17 really say?
 1. Go to the one you are at odds with. If that doesn’t work
 2. Go to the one you are at odds with and take someone along. If that doesn’t work
 3. Go to the church to have the issue resolved.

Because none of this was happening, Paul enlists the help of someone at the church to encourage these women to reconcile the way Jesus taught them.

If Christianity could be summed up in one word, what would it be? Faith, new life, forgiveness, hope and love, all speak of the core of Christianity but I believe they are all encapsulated in the word reconciliation. Think about it.

    -God reconciled us to himself through his Son Jesus Christ. Paul, undoubtedly is thinking of this here. This is the heart of the
     Gospel message. We were once enemies of God but now we a reconciled to him, we are now friends.

So how can those reconciled to God, not be reconciled to one another?

This is one of the times the church shoots itself in the foot. We call the world to a life of peace with God and then fight with each other. It is sad. No it’s actually more… it’s sin!

Are there any Euodias and Syntyches here this morning? Are you at odds with someone and you just can’t seem to get along with them?
     -Perhaps it your husband or wife, your parents or siblings.
     -Perhaps it’s someone who is sitting in this very place of worship this morning, this place where the Holy Spirit is moving,
      this place of God’s forgiveness?

I love this next part. Paul gives us a glimpse of the future so that we can better deal with our present. He said that if you know the Lord, your names are written in the Book of Life. That means you are guaranteed a mansion in heaven and the person you are at odds with just may be your next door neighbor for all eternity.  Make it right with them, do it today! Don’t wait.
Paul’s advice…Be reconciled to one another for the sake of Jesus Christ. Take the first step. You may be surprised at the warm reception you may receive. And God will be honored in your humility and kindness.

Transition: Being reconciled to one another, seeking unity in the church is always the right advice. Because it obeys God’s command and is a reflection of his saving grace to humanity. What other advice did Paul have for his friends in the Philippian church?

Philippians 4:4
Is it just me or at first glance does this not fit here? Why rejoice? Because where there is disharmony, where there is disunity, there is no joy. Life has a way of stealing our joy. Doesn’t it? Sometimes it creeps up and takes it while we are distracted. Other times we open the door and kick joy out because we decide to live in the muck of the moment.

Paul’s command to rejoice is sewn throughout the fabric of this letter to the Christians in Philippi. Yet, this letter is also filled with descriptions of sever hardships and demanding pressures…lifes circumstances if you will.

Paul is not saying ‘don’t worry be happy.’ That would be a phony cover up, a denial of the painful realities of life. Instead, Paul is encouraging those who are disheartened by life’s circumstances to recognize that underneath all the pain, suffering, sorry and hardship, are the everlasting arms of God. He wants you to rejoice because God, your God is greater than anything you may be going through. And he loves you with an everlasting love.

If you can believe that God stands with you, no matter what the circumstance, that he is a purposeful and loving God, then you will have deep joy and contentment. And with this deep joy and peace, you can still be honest about how much your current circumstance may hurt.

Transition: Rejoice! Because the Lord is always with you. That is the right advice to follow. Finally this morning, Paul leaves us with one more kernel of advice.

Philippians 4:5
     -Be gentle. Don’t be known as someone with a bad temper.
     -Be gentle. Don’t be known as someone who is impatient when relating to others.
     -Be gentle. Don’t be hot headed,  argumentative or harsh.
     -Be gentle. Don’t always expect the worse of someone.
     -Be gentle. Don’t go through life with a chip on your shoulder.
     -Be gentle.

This best describes the heart of a Christian who lets the Lord fight their battles for them. Be gentle. Why? Because the Lord is near, his coming is at hand and he will take care of all the wrongs that have been done to his people. Even the wrongs others have done to you.

Be gentle. It’s the right advice to follow.

Conclusion
Advice.. You know the trouble with good advice is that it usually interferes with our plans.

Couples and individuals have come to me and other counselors and asked for advice on how to have a better marriage, how to get along better with coworkers, how to improve relationships with children even how to have a deeper more intimate relationship with the Lord. So, I, we who are counselors, give what we believe is good counsel, good advice.

What happens? Often these very same people come back later for counseling with the same problems and the same questions…what can we do? You see, our advice hasn’t changed. But neither have the people who asked? They still do the same thing because it is easy and they have learned to function without having to actually put into practice the advice given by others.

Many Christians are the same way. They have learned to function in the church, in the Christian world without having to make any  changes in their lives. And if they were honest, to do what Paul suggests would put a crimp in their lifestyle.

It is interesting that these individuals also suffer from the greatest anxiety, and say they have no peace in their lives. I am not surprised.. But we will discuss that next week.

Everyone wants to give advice, it’s cheap and plentiful. But much of it is not good advice, not godly advice. Paul in our text this morning has challenged us to follow good advice and leave the rest behind.
And where can good advice always be found? In God’s Word, the Bible. We have been singing about it this morning.

His Word is faithful, true and always good…for you.     Trust it, depend upon it… follow it!