Never Cut What You Can Untie

NEVER CUT WHAT YOU CAN UNTIE

Phip. 4:4-8

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. Peggy Lewis told of a minister who performed a wedding ceremony in a car. The engaged pair were too old and frail to get out of the car, so he got on his knees in the front seat and turned to them in the back.

2. After declaring them husband and wife, he told the groom, “At this time, it’s customary to kiss the bride.” The weary groom responded, “Go ahead.” [Reader’s Digest]

B. IMPORTANCE OF OUR PASSAGE

1. Amazon compiled the passages people most highlighted in their Kindle books. They also compiled what passages were most highlighted in the Bible.

2. Most of us would guess John 3:16, Psalm 23, or Psalm 91, etc., but it turns out that Philippians 4:6-7 is the most highlighted passage in the Bible, because it contains something they need to hear. Let’s read it.

C. TEXT & TITLE

1. 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. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things. Phip. 4:4-8, NIV

2. The title of this message is “Never Cut What You Can Untie.” This saying is applicable to rope but also relationships!

I. POWER OF WORKING TOGETHER

A. EXAMPLE OF RELAYS

1. There are 2 track & field events that are exactly the same distance /length (one mile long), but one is run solo and the other is run by 4 people, in relay. Each is 4X around the track.

2. The world record for the relay run is 2.54 minutes and for the solo it’s 3.43, almost a minute longer. This tells us that you CAN run the mile alone, but it takes a lot longer and takes a bigger toll on you.

3. An old Zimbabwe proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go further, go together.” Nothing hurts the longevity of a church more than when a relay is turned into a solo event. Eugene Peterson said, “No Christian is an only child.”

B. EXAMPLE OF FLIGHT

1. Airplanes are made up of 100% NON-FLYING parts, but when you put them together, they can lift 175,000 pounds into the air!

2. There’s not a seat or a bolt or a wing-flap that can fly by themselves; they can only fly when they’re combined in unity. Likewise, the power of the Body of Christ is unimaginable!

II. A PROBLEM AT PHILIPPI

A. THE CONFLICT OF EUODIA & SYNTYCHE

1. Many people want to claim Bible verses, separated from their context, but these verses are not stand-alone promises.

2. Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell. In this passage Paul was addressing his ministry team in Philippi which had been in conflict. Paul wanted them to run a relay, not a solo race.

3. This passage was written to settle the disagreement between Euodia & Syntyche (vs. 2). The Living Bible puts it, “And now I want to plead with those two dear women, Euodias and Syntyche. Please, please, with the Lord’s help, quarrel no more!” So in what follows, Paul was giving steps to resolve their conflict!

B. RESOLVE CONFLICT, NOT DISSOLVE FRIENDSHIP

1. NEVER CUT WHAT YOU CAN UNTIE. What do you do when 2 people are fighting? Steven Brown tells us that when a group of wild horses are attacked, they form a circle with their hindquarters outward so they can kick the enemy.

2. Donkeys do the opposite – they face the enemy and kick each other! How often the church ignores the real enemy and fights among themselves. We’re thoroughbreds, not donkeys.

3. A study at BYU found that people with friends are 50% more likely to survive than people without friends. It’s always more rewarding to resolve a conflict than to dissolve a relationship. Untie the knot, not cut the rope.

4. If you’re having a problem with someone, confess it to God, don’t post it on Facebook! You can’t have relationships without fights, but you can make your relationships worth the fight!

III. 3 THOUGHTS ON HOW TO UNTIE THE KNOT

A. PROBLEMS ARE PART OF GROWTH

1. Don’t be surprised when there are conflicts: problems happen when the kingdom advances.

2. When you move into Satan’s territory and he sees he can’t stop you with external attack, he moves to attack by internal division. But we must be careful: “Division in the church breeds atheism in the world.” [Thomas Manton]