I read an article the other day that suggested that 95% of recorded history includes stories of war and/or national violence. That statistic is staggering isn’t it? A quick glance at national and international news would indicate this truth. The world seems to be in constant conflict! Finding peace in this world is difficult.
One poor soul said it this way. “If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet the world would be … at least until the looting starts.” The world is a rough place.
And it seems that we are as Christians are not immune to conflict either. Have you ever had conflict in your life? If you are like me, you have had conflict spring up in your life. Perhaps you see constant conflict in your marriage; maybe you see it in your family with your children, your siblings, or your parents. Maybe the conflict is with a neighbor or friend. You might have experienced conflict with coworkers or customers. And if you are like me, the longer the conflict goes on the more you long to find peace.
Is it possible? Can we find peace in a world where conflict is the norm?
Key Question: How do we find peace in the midst of a world full of conflict?
We learned last week that Paul is writing to a church he loves. And in verse 1 he has given them pet names (His joy and his crown). Paul knows that external conflict is coming to the church. Paul himself has been imprisoned for preaching the gospel and the persecution is starting the affect the Christians in Philippi.
And Paul addresses the question of peace. He starts specifically by writing to a couple of women who have broken the peace in the church.
Philippians 4:2 (NIV)
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
Paul mentions two ladies in the church in Philippi and they are in the midst of a standing spat. This struggle of opinions between these two women must have gone on for a while because it has had time to become public and Paul has received news of it while under house arrest in Rome. What the fight is about we do not know but it does not seem to be foundational because Paul does not take sides. I get the feeling that these two women might be fighting over the color of the carpet or where to put the communion table. But in the process their feud is wrecking the fellowship of the church!
So he writes to them specifically in this letter and he calls them out by NAME. To understand the strength of what Paul is doing, we should realize that this letter would have probably been read out loud before the entire congregation. These women would have been held accountable in front of the entire church. What do you suppose would happen if we did that in this day and culture? Especially in America were “privacy” is considered so important?
But Paul places the importance of protecting the fellowship of the church over protecting the privacy of these two ladies.
Principle: Long standing conflict between Christians that destroys the fellowship within the church is NOT a private matter.
The world is watching. And it is not looking for another war or another dysfunctional family. They see enough of that as it is. So Paul points them to the single purpose.
“Agree with one another in the Lord.”
He wants the to see they have something in common vs. seeing their difference(s). And he wants them to cherish their common view over “continuing to see their difference(s).”
Illustration:
I recently read a parenting article that described a method for dealing with the conflict of sibling rivalry. It suggested making kids who are constantly fighting work together on a project. This would be a project that would have to be completed together or not at all.
I like the idea (at least as a parent). Do you have any idea how difficult it is to stay angry with someone and to fight when you have to focus on the same task? I think that is Paul’s goal when he tells them to agree with one another in the Lord. He wants them to refocus on what is important. If I could summarize, I think Paul might be saying, “Jesus is far too important for this conflict in the church to continue!”
I. Find that common ground you have in Jesus.
What would happen if we did that? What would happen if we evaluated every disagreement we had through the importance of Jesus? It’s not the life is too short to quarrel, it’s that Jesus is too important to continue to break the peace.
Since these women have yet to reconcile (find peace), Paul appeals to some outside help.
He writes in 3 (Philippians 4:3a) “3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women
Paul had a source outside this conflict to whom he appeals for help. Sometimes a neutral outside party is needed to help people see common ground. Who could that be for us today? A mentor? A Sunday school teacher? A church leader? A peer group? It might even a Christian counselor. It might be an organization that helps handle conflict. Peace can be hard to find on our own.
But in the midst of all this, Paul reminds the church about these women… he tells them to help these ladies (Philippians 4:3b) who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”
He doesn’t leave them there in the conflict. In the midst of urging them to get along, he praises them. “You both have contended at my side for the common cause of the gospel…and you both have your names recorded in the book of life.” Paul reminds these women that they have a past of working together toward the same goal and that that they have a future together as well.
II. He has them to step outside the current situation to see the whole picture as God sees it.
The funny thing about conflict is that we tend to get stuck in the present. The focus is on the current struggle. So Paul reminds the ladies of their past and future and he tells the church what the present should look like.
Paul writes to the church (again),
Philippians 4:4-5
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
There is joy in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. Every time Paul writes about a circumstance that in its self is a peace robber, Paul celebrates by reminding the Christians in Philippi to rejoice. (12 times he tells them to rejoice in this letter!)
III. Rejoicing in the Lord is a key ingredient of peace.
When we intentionally celebrate in the Lord, we invite his presence and comfort into our lives. And in our joy, we should let our gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. God’s presence should alter how we look at peace shouldn’t it? It should alter how we handle conflict with others and it should alter how we handle internal turmoil as well.
Both outer conflict and inner conflict will rob us of energy and we often lose focus. Conflict will lead to bad judgment. It will add to stress. I know in my own life that conflict (whether external or internal) can bring anxiety and it affects me emotions too. And I am not the only one who feels it. Anxiety and conflict rarely stay self contained.
So Paul writes
(Philippians 4:6) - 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
God is listening. And we can approach his throne with confidence. And Paul says, “With thanksgiving, present our request to God.”
When we are offering thanks, we have to be grateful instead of hateful. Thanksgiving is a focus shifter.
If we are struggling with anxiety, maybe we should sit down and list the things for which we are thankful. Then we should take that list and present it to our God who is near.
And listen to what Paul says will happen
Philippians 4:7 (Theme Verse)
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We have God’s peace in us (the peace of God): it’s a peace that comes from God; a peace we may not fully understand ourselves; and this peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It is an internal thing.
We develop it through thankful prayer; through rejoicing and celebration even in the midst of trials; through seeing the whole picture as God sees it; sometimes even through the help of others; but the peace is established by God. This peace of God protects our hearts and minds even in the midst of conflict (whether internal of external).
Conclusion:
What an amazing picture that Paul shares about God’s peace. It’s a peace granted by God himself even in the midst of a world that offers too much war and violence. We can find peace with our brothers and sisters. We can be free from the anxiety that this world in conflict brings. We can still have peace. This peace finds US through Jesus Christ. The rest of the world may offer temporary truces that are eventually broken; the world may offer 95% war, but God offers a peace that lasts through Jesus Christ. If you want peace today, you can find it in Jesus.
Invitation:
