Sermon Tone Analysis

*A Heart for Harmony*

Philippians 4:2-3

Pastor Ricky Powell (Fort Caroline Baptist Church, Jax., FL)

*Scripture Introduction*: Beating One Another 

Jim Whittaker was captured in 1942 by the Japanese during World War II.

During his interment at a labor camp in Burma, his battalion was part of the construction of the famous bridge over the river Kwai.

Describing the brutal treatment of prisoners, Jim recounts the time when a soldier checking knapsacks was startled to find a snake which was being kept as a future meal by a hungry inmate.

The prisoner laughed.

Angry and embarrassed, the Japanese guard made the captives line up and beat each other!

The other guards watched to make sure the beatings were authentic and not faked.

(Citation: Al Zdon, “Building the Real Bridge on the River Kwai,” The Minnesota American Legion (online), July 2002).

I have often wondered how Satan must stand back and watch with glee as God’s people beat each other.

Our church conflicts may never come to actual physical blows, but verbal blows often hurt more deeply.

Physical wounds heal, but emotional scars stay with you forever.

We teach our children a lie when we teach them to say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

That’s just wishful thinking because words do hurt!

Conflict among Christians does real damage.

Conflict hurts the people directly involved, it hurts innocent by-standers, and it hurts the cause of Christ.

It does not matter what started the conflict.

Christians may argue over the color of the carpet in the sanctuary, or the style of music sung in worship, but the results are the same; people get hurt and the cause of Christ suffers damage.

Not long ago I spoke to a pastor in Georgia who was bemoaning the fact that his church had a bad reputation in the community.

He said, “Ricky, this church has gained a reputation in the community of conflict and disharmony.

People won’t come here because they have heard about all the church fights over the years.”

It is my prayer that God will give the members of this church a heart for harmony.

That’s what I want to speak to you about tonight, *“A Heart for Harmony.”*

Our Scripture passage is found in Philippians 4:2-3.

I am not preaching this message tonight because your pastor told me to.

He has never spoken a negative word about this church to me.

As far as I know this church is filled with people who always get along with one another and never is heard a discouraging word (kind of like Home on the Range).

If that is the case, just take good notes and file this sermon away, because one day you are going to need it.

Every Christians needs to hear this message.

*READ PASSAGE*

/2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names /are/ in the Book of Life.

\\ /*Philippians 4:2-3 (NKJV) *

*Sermon Introduction*: Three Year Argument

The monks at a remote monastery deep in the woods followed a rigid vow of silence.

Their vow could only be broken once a year—on Christmas—by one monk.

That monk could speak only one sentence.

One Christmas, Brother Thomas had his turn to speak and said, “I love the delightful mashed potatoes we have every year with the Christmas roast!”

Then he sat down.

Silence ensued for 365 days.

The next Christmas, Brother Michael got his turn and said, “I think the mashed potatoes are lumpy, and I truly despise them!”

Once again, silence ensued for 365 days.

The following Christmas, Brother Paul rose and said, “I am fed up with this constant bickering!”

I don’t suppose it surprises you to hear that Christians don’t always get along.

It is true in our day and it was true in the Apostle Paul’s day.

We are informed by the text we just read that two ladies in the church at Philippi were at odds with each other over some personal matter.

Their personal conflict was escalating to the point that it was affecting the whole church.

The bad blood between these believers threatened to disrupt the fellowship of the entire church.

News of the rising tensions had even reached Paul as he sat as a prisoner of Rome hundreds of miles away.

He wanted to instruct the church to handle this problem before it hurt the church.

Paul knew that harmony in a church does not just happen; it requires hard work.

Paul wanted them to do the hard work of maintaining the harmony.

That is the lesson for us as well.

Each of us must be committed to doing the hard work of maintaining the harmony.

*I must help to keep the harmony in my church*.

You must help to keep the harmony in your church!

I want to make three observations from this text that will be instructive as we learn how to keep the harmony in the church.

/First/,

*I.

Christians Can Become Combatants.*

What do we know about these two women?

We don’t know much.

We know they have got some strange sounding names to our modern ears!

But we do not know anything about their ages, their families, and their background.

However, there are three things we do know from the text.

*/            A.

These ladies were Christians./*

Paul begged them to be of the same mind “in the Lord.”

In other words, they were Christians.

Lost people cannot be of the same mind in the Lord.

This is only possible between believers.

Furthermore, Paul described these ladies as people, “whose names are in the book of life” (v.3).

One thing I know about these two ladies is that they were Christians.

Chances are I am talking to a room full of Christians, people who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who are spiritually alive in Christ, and whose manes are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Isn’t it great to be a Christian!

We sometimes sing that great Bill Gaither song, Family of God.

I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God, \\ I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His Blood! \\ Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, \\ For I'm part of the family, \\ The Family of God

You will notice we say "brother and sister" 'round here, \\ It's because we're a family and these are so near; \\ When one has a heartache, we all share the tears, \\ And rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.

*/B.

These Ladies Were Committed./*

Did you notice that Paul said these women had labored with him and that he called these women his fellow workers?

He said, /3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names /are/ in the Book of Life.

\\ \\ /

These ladies were workers not shirkers!

They had been instrumental in founding this church at Philippi!

When they got saved they did not just sit, soak and sour like a lot of church members today.

No! They got involved.

They rolled up their sleeves and helped out in tangible ways.

They were not what my former pastor called, U.F.O.’s.

He was preaching at Fort Caroline one Sunday morning when he said, “This church is filled with U.F.O.’s; uncommitted freeloading on-lookers who do nothing for God or His church!”

Well, these ladies were not U.F.O.’s.

They were committed Christians who had served in the Lord’s church.

They were instrumental in helping Paul get the Gospel out in their city.

The Lord knows we need more committed Christians who are willing to labor for the Lord!

Paul once wrote,  /10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

/*Ephesians **2:10** (NKJV).

*

There is work to be done in the church and these women were committed to help shoulder the load!

But there is a third thing we know about these ladies.

They were Christians, and they were committed, but somehow they had become cantankerous.

*/            C.