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]
B. WISE CHRISTIANS KNOW THEY NEED HELP
1. Only weak people think they’re strong enough to do the Christian life alone. We don’t have wings individually – we can’t fly without the unity in the Body.
2. Paul needed help because he was in prison. So he appealed to his “Yokefellow (vs. 3).” This indicates someone he’d been in the harness with, or in ministry with there in Philippi. Some believe it to refers to the Philippian jailor, who (they think) put the stripes on Paul’s back. If true, then Paul was appealing to the one who once cut and beat, to now bring healing!
C. WE MUST CONQUER ROGUE THOUGHTS
Vss. 4-9 were written as a template for how to keep us running together in relay. Paul’s not trying to teach us how to “fight-fair,” but to engage in the internal battle in our hearts to overcome wrong thoughts and emotions. If we can get the right attitude, then we’ll achieve the right altitude again. How can we do it?
1. FIND YOUR JOY IN GOD. You won’t always find joy in people – they are inconsistent. But we can always find joy in God – He doesn’t change and He’s always good. John Flavel said, “What? At peace with the Father and at war with His children? Impossible!”
2. LIVE WITH ONE FOOT RAISED. “Keep a gentle spirit – the Lord is near!” (vs. 5). Be ready to go up at any moment. Rapture recognition. Wrongs will all be righted – there will be salvation, but judgment too. Get things right! John Calvin said we should “have one foot raised to take our departure when it pleases God.” Don’t be grounded; be ready to fly.
3. PRAYER FIGHTS WORRY. Be in a place of prayer. Why? If you’re going to worry then there’s no need to pray, but if you pray then there’s no need to worry. Turn your troubles over to God – He stays up all night anyway (so you don’t have to).
4. PEACE WILL FOLLOW PRAYER. Even if things around us are not peaceful, we can still have peace from God. Remind yourself: “God’s got this!”
5. YOU CAN STOP ROGUE THOUGHTS that affect your mind. Vs. 8, “whatever is true... noble...right...pure...lovely... admirable...excellent or praiseworthy think on these things.” THINK HEALTHY! Stop wrong thinking about others. When you don’t allow those thoughts, you untie the knot.
6. What are Rogue thoughts? “They’re trying to hurt me.” “They never liked me.” “They always wanted me out of here.” “When they say they love me it’s just not true.” “They’re hypocrites!”
7. Paul says, “STOP IT!” Think on these positive things! Rogue thoughts are made-up narratives that cause anxiety and worry, and make us want to cut the rope. Let’s turn our solo-run back into a relay; let’s get airborne again.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Pursuing Truth Over Revenge
1. During the Revolutionary War there was a pastor named Peter Miller who served in a small town in Lancaster County. He had a neighbor who often mocked and ridiculed him.
2. During the war, that neighbor was both accused and convicted of treason. Peter Miller was convinced that, though he was an unpleasant person, he was not in fact a traitor. So Miller traveled 70 miles on foot to see George Washington to ask for a pardon.
3. Washington told Miller there was nothing he could do to save his friend. “My Friend?” Miller gasped, he isn’t my friend! In fact he is the greatest enemy I’ve ever had.” Washington was surprised.
4. “What?” cried Washington. “You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in different light. [A demonstration of grace?] I’ll grant your pardon.”
5. Miller returned home just as his neighbor was being led to the scaffold. The Neighbor cried out to the crowd…“Old Peter Miller has come to get his revenge and watch me hang from the scaffold.” Miller said, “Not at all,” and he handed him the paper with his pardon. [Stuart Strachan Jr.; Source Material from The Grace of Giving, by Stephen Olford]
B. THE CALL
1. God had the right to cut the rope with us because of our sin, but He loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to untie the knot of sin that controls people’s lives, and restored us to fellowship with God.
2. We can hold grudges, but it’s God’s will that we forgive others and reconcile our relationships. Can you think of any “knots” that God can help you untie? Let’s pray for grace to do that. PRAYER.
[This message is a rewrite of Tim Dilena’s message of the same title.]
