11th October 2026 : Philippians ch 4 v 1 - 9

Philippians ch 4 v 1 - 9

Time for the kids to go out if they want to into the kids club. If you're under 5, be with your mum. It's school age really. God bless the kids club. Amen. So you folks go out and have a good time.

Thanks for all those who shared and if you're already in the benefit of God's presence, then don't forget to say thank you to him. Hallelujah.

I'd like to read to you from the word of God. And it's from Philippians chapter 4, verses 1 to 9 today. Philippians 4, 1 to 9. Anybody wants to look that up, I'll give you a minute to find it. Easy place to find this week. Philippians 4, 1 to 9. And we've got some very practical instructions from the Lord.

The word of God begins like this. Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, and sisters, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate, that means think, on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do. And the God of peace will be with you.

Well, verse 9, we'll get to that eventually because it's a power pack. But let's just pray and invite the blessing of the Lord on the word.

Lord, you've caused and inspired the word for us and Lord, you've prepared it for us in such a beautiful way. We've got our comfortable Bibles in plain English and Lord, you've spoilt us, but Lord, in Jesus' name, if it's possible to spoil us more, we ask you now, Lord, reveal that word because it only is revealed as your Spirit declares it. The author himself declaring the word of God. And Lord, in Jesus' name we pray that you'll declare it to our heart and mind, even if we're full of questions after. Lord, fulfil your promise in this, that your covenant is with your people and you bring the greater good for them that love you. Thank you, Lord.

Right, I like the way the letter to the Philippians is kind of mapped out, the style of writing, It was always just reading the other day that I thought, I never really thought about it this way before, but it's as though each sentence or each verse starts with some kind of a statement and then halfway through the sentence there's a bit more information about it. And then at the end of that sentence or verse, you get some kind of explanation with it. And then it carries on into the next and carries over a theme and does the same thing again.

To give you an example of what I mean, if we just look in chapter 3 and verse 2, the words, it starts with a statement, watch out for dogs. Beware of dogs. And if you left it there, you might be looking around thinking, well somebody let the thing off the lead or, is it going to put its paws on my nice clean clothes? He doesn't mean that. You see, it goes on, beware of dogs, and then it gives further information. Beware of evil workers. So the dogs he's talking about are people.

And then there's some more information. Beware of the mutilation. That done in the hands of men, in the flesh, the circumcision. But God does that operation in the spirit and we are circumcised in the heart, you see? So he issues a statement and then goes forward in stages explaining what he means and who he means and then comes to this in verse 3, chapter 3 says, for we are the circumcision. That's those in Christ. They're the true worshippers. Not those who are circumcised outwardly or keep the law outwardly, but those who have got the law written on their hearts and the Holy Spirit put it there. We're the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit and then he goes back into this rejoice thing.

So just looking back there in a few places in Philippians, you can see this almost a method of communication as he wrote to the church. And, you know, its good to remember from Acts chapter 16 how that church was established, isn't it, at Philippi. Paul and Silas on the missionary travels, they went down to a place in Philippi, it was near the riverside, and they were looking for somewhere to pray or some group that prayed, maybe one of those groups. And, you know, he was looking for the opportunity to minister the gospel.

Are you looking for the opportunity? Are you searching God's? Give me the opportunity to minister the grace of God today. Amen.

Well, that's what they did, Paul and Silas. They went down by the river at Philippi and they met a group of ladies. And one of those ladies was called Lydia and she was a dealer in purple cloth. And that's how the church there got established. It was a group of ladies. And then it developed from there. If you follow that passage right through in Acts chapter 16, Paul and Silas got thrown in jail. What's going wrong? Oh, nothing. God had a purpose in the jail. You see, if you read it through, the jailer got saved. Sometimes you ask, what am I doing here? And then God gives you the answer in the most peculiar way. The jailer got saved. So this church at Philippi was growing and it was growing wonderfully.

And then we come to our passage that we read together today because Paul has a little concern about them. And it's to do with two ladies. I read it, so if I pronounced it wrong, it's my fault. Two names there that people wouldn't want to read. Euodia and Syntyche, what do you say? I'll say that. But I don't have any Greek really. He starts there in verse 2 really. First of all, there's a call to stand fast in your faith. Do you need reminding of that? Of course you do. Beloved, stand fast in your faith. That's verse one. Verse 2, he addresses two ladies. I wonder if they were two of the ladies he met down by the river when they first started. They started well, didn't they? Look at them now.

I implore you both to be of the same mind in the Lord. You know, this isn't a split. This isn't something as serious that. If you turn to Titus 3 verse 10, it'll tell you there what to do when there's a serious split. Mark those who cause division well, warn them once and then warn them a second time and after that have nothing to do with them. That's a serious split. This one with the two ladies is a little tiff. Do you know what that is?

I'll give you an example. My mother-in-law, she's laid off going to church for a long time and then decided to go back and she went and she was fitting in quite well and was well accepted among the people until one day she decided to help in the kitchen and she was brewing up and somebody said, oh, that's the wrong kettle, dear. You know, she might, what's the wrong kettle? I don't know. If it gives me a cup of tea, it's the right kettle. But you know what? Maybe she was a bit sensitive. Maybe they were a bit insensitive the way it was put. But she never went back. Isn't it funny? She didn't go back there. She went to another church. A little tiff.

But you know, it can still be destructive, can't it? Can you see Paul's concern? He was there at the beginning of the church at Philippi. He planted it. You know, he saw the first people get saved there. He rejoiced in the prison when everybody else was grieving. And now these two ladies are grieving him a bit more. There's this little tiff going on. What had they fallen out about? It's usually something trivial, isn't it? And he said to them, I implore you to be of the same mind. You know, this passage in Philippians 4, it's got a lot to do with what we think. Did you notice that as we read through? He calls them to be of the same mind.

And then further down in verse 8, he says, think about these things instead. Well, they were called to agree with one another in the faith. And following that work that God does in the battle for our mind, remember that is a battle, there are plenty of exhortations in scripture, Ephesians 4.17, written to the church there, another church, another church that Paul visited. He said, I insist in the Lord that you no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. And then Romans chapter 12 verse 2, what does it say? That's a popular one, isn't it? Be transformed in the renewing of your mind. It's part of the renewing work of the Holy Spirit.

Once our focus, all our thoughts was on the world, its concerns and things and sins. And now in the Lord, you're so refreshed that your concerns are with him and you share his thoughts. His thoughts are only made known to those that belong to him. If Christ is in you, share his thoughts, think about these things, be of one mind. That's the message there.

And those two women, I don't know what it was, but I would hope and pray that they did come to that place of agreement where they'd say, it doesn't matter, love, does it? It's only trivial. We'll just carry on in faith. Hallelujah. Easy, isn't it, really? We don't have to take it any further. And their names were written in the Book of Life, verse three. He mentions these other people. Your name's written in the book of life. Rejoice. That's the next verse.

Going ahead of myself, really. First of all, he says, your names are written in the book of life. And then in verse four, he says, rejoice. Come on, rejoice again. I say, rejoice. Why? Your name's written in the book of life. Can you see how one bit follows the other? And this style really of address to the Philippians is to some extent self-explanatory. So we covered verse four and we've done some rejoicing.

Do you know, I don't think we did enough. Who thinks we praised God enough before? Nobody. I didn't think so. Well, you know what to do, don't you? Praise God some more. Somebody was saying, I think it was Kath, she went to the Franklin Graham event and this last weekend, weekend before, and shared it with us on Thursday. She said there were people there shouting, sing louder, you know, pray louder. And it's a great atmosphere to be in when people lift up the name of Jesus. Rejoice, again I say rejoice. If your name's in his book, if your name's inscribed on his palms, that's something to be thankful for, beloved. Not everybody's name is.

And then it goes on, let your gentleness be known to all men. Why? The Lord is at hand. So you get this statement and then you get the explanation. Don't underestimate the power of your testimony as it lives and works out in front of people because the Lord is at hand. You get it? Yeah. These are simple things and then he comes on to something really complex. Verse 6, he says be anxious for nothing. And yet we're full of anxieties, aren't we? Christians, you know, it's easy to talk the talk. But when it comes down to this bit and you think, am I anxious? Do I suffer from anxiety? Well, if I do, what am I worried about? What is it that's really getting to me? And I push it down or I push it away and every now and then it surfaces and I want to put a pillow over it, you know. And there's this word from God, be anxious for nothing. If you're anxious, come to me. If you're anxious, rest it with me. If you're anxious, there has to be a reason. If you're anxious, what you need is not really the specific answer, it's the peace of God that keeps your heart and mind.

And that brings us to the end of that verse, doesn't it? He starts by saying, be anxious for nothing. And then he goes into the answer and further explanation. Instead of being anxious, go to prayer. Instead of being anxious, make supplication. You know what that is? It's like putting your ticket on the prayer tree, isn't it? You're putting it before God. It's like on the Wednesday night discipleship group, we saw an example from Hezekiah, prophet Isaiah. They spread out their concerns before the Lord. They didn't have paper like we do. It'd be interesting to know what they wrote them down on, I suppose. Put them before the Lord and you can lay hands on a piece of paper and say, these are all our concerns, Lord. Putting them before you.

You can read that story in Isaiah and other places. Don't be anxious. Come in supplication to the throne of grace. And verse 7 will tell you what happens as a result. The peace of God will inhabit your heart. The peace of God will descend on your soul. It will surpass all your understanding. Read it to yourself. It will surpass all your understanding. We're back to this battle for the mind, aren't we? All these verses, it's about how we think and how we perceive and the degree to which we know the power and the comfort of God, even in a time of trouble. but it will surpass understanding. You'll be at peace and you won't know why. You'll just know it's God answering and visiting and doing what he promises to do. And he'll guard your heart and your mind. You'll be of one mind and one spirit with him.

One thing to be of one heart and one mind with each other, but to be of one heart and one mind with God. Wow. Rejoice again, I say rejoice. You know, that's personal revival, isn't it? Oh, wonderful. We are getting deep, aren't we? And yet these are very simple, practical instructions.

Let's turn to verse 8 and 9 and come to a close, you know. There's this inexhaustive list in verse 8. I'll read it to you again. Whatever's true. Never mind what's deceitful, fabricated, half-truth. Facts held back discreetly or any of that nonsense. Whatever's true and only what's true. Whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, is it right? First of all, is it right? Whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, is it good enough? Is it lovely? Nobody can say, oh, it'll do.

I remember being at a church once where I was moaning about the cups and saucers because they looked like they'd come from a British rail cafe or something like that, you wouldn't give them to somebody. If somebody came to your house, you wouldn't give them those cups. And I couldn't get it through. And it was only after we left that place and moved on, they got some nice cups. It's funny, isn't it? But when people said, what's wrong, it's only a cup of tea? I said, but it's not lovely. They didn't get it. They didn't get it.

But the word of God said, whatever things are lovely. Is it good enough for God? Never mind good enough for what you're doing. Is it good enough for him? You know, everything you do and whatever things are of good report. Watch your ears, beloved, what you're listening to, bad reports, gossip and other stuff. You'll soon be in one of those little tiffs with those two women. No good. You know, last Thursday, actually, it was Liz's fault and she's gone out of the room now. You know, I'd just got to a point where I said, oh, there's a verse in Song of Songs. I can't remember where it is. And it says, catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards. And Liz said, I know where that is. And she looked it up. It's Song of Songs, chapter 2, verse 15. I said, God bless you. Well done. Participation.

But you know, it's such a powerful verse. It's just like Saint Paul saying to those two women, be of one mind and one spirit I implore. Because those little foxes, if they're left alone, can ruin the vineyard. The vineyard's supposed to have grapes and vines in it. We said that at the start of the service, didn't we? If you leave those little foxes alone, they're important. They need dealing with. Capture for us the little foxes. So if anything's a good report, stick to it. If something's a bad report, capture that little fox and don't go further with it. Is there any virtue? Is there anything praiseworthy?

I mean, Kirsty was sharing because it's praiseworthy. She's been on a mission. It's exciting. She's been blessed by God. I want to hear those things, don't you? I want to hear good reports. I want to hear something that God has done.

And then in verse 9, finally we get to it. For me anyway, it was a little power point. It's like plugging something in your ring main at home and suddenly you've got a boiled kettle, the right one. And verse 9 says, the things which you learned, so there's something to learn. The things which you received, so there's something to receive and keep. And the things you heard, good things. There's things for us to hear and listen to. And the things you saw, there's things we need to see and take notice of, even the small detail.

And he goes further to say, those things that you saw and heard from me and in me, do likewise. Do you know what he was saying there? He's writing to the church and saying, you want to know what a real Christian looks like? Take a good look. And that's what he said in verse 9. Take a good look. Remember what you heard and you've seen and received in me. Do that. Why? Well, he explains himself again right at the end of the sentence, same style. The God of peace will be with you as he was and is and always will be with me. That's what he was teaching the Philippians. You want to know what a real Christian is like? Have a good look and do that.

It was role modelling for them. That takes a lot of confidence, doesn't it? Anybody want to stand up and say what Paul wrote there in verse 9? Well, I'll give you another chance next week. And maybe you'll have got to that point where you can say, if somebody wants to know what a real Christian is like, take a good look. I don't mind if you do. Wow, isn't that power packed? Something that we need to learn and receive for ourselves and hear properly from God and to see in each other and then put it into practice. Hallelujah.

Let me pray for you and myself. Let's pray.

Lord, in Jesus' precious name, we've seen wonderful things. We've seen how easy it is to go wrong by the implicit nature of scripture, but we've also seen how straightforward, if we commit our way to you, how straightforward it is to be delivered from anxiety, to have our mind and our heart refreshed in the Holy Spirit and to be equipped with the fullness of God in Christ Jesus to the extent that we're like an apostle. No, we're more like you, Lord. Walk in this world in the flesh. Lord, I pray for everyone in the room. We're all at different levels of experience. We've all encountered different things. Some people have got anxieties and some people may be in trouble. We bring all that anxiety and everything that we are and everything we know and experience and we lay it down right now. Trust you with it, Lord. We put it down before your throne of grace and trust you with it. Oh God, hear us as we pray in the lovely, powerful name of Jesus, that we might be delivered unto that place. Lord, where we can say with confidence, you want to know what a real Christian is, take a good look. Hallelujah. So equip us all, Lord, in that special way, in Jesus' precious name. Amen.