In Christ Alone

Mission trips are a beautiful thing as you are able to serve others and get out of your comfort zone as you’re away from your regular schedule and all the distractions that we face on a daily basis.. Most mission trips are a very unifying time for individuals and also for the team in general. Think about that unity for a minute though. Why are we so unified whenever we travel away from home on a trip like this? For one you’re outside of your comfort zone. For another you don’t have the responsibilities that you normally have. Maybe most importantly, though, is that you have the same purpose on a mission trip. You’re not on a vacation with different adventures and experiences that you’ve been waiting to do - you’re on a mission trip and you’re going to accomplish something bigger than yourself alongside other people. On these types of trips you bond with the people that you travel with and relationships form as you help those in need. Some of the best memories I have of my younger years are from mission trips and the worship times and service opportunities on those trips. Whenever our mindset is on our collective mission, there’s usually a deep sense of unity because we remember our purpose and as Christians, we’re united in having the same purpose.

One of the problems with being a person, though, is that we forget. It’s been said that people are people and that’s our greatest problem. We read in the Bible time and time again that people forgot what God had done and instead did what was right in their own eyes. Whenever we forget our purpose or whenever we put ourselves and our ideas at the top of the list, we’re in danger of causing some problems for ourselves and for others as well. Psychology Today said this about 5 years ago, “Human behavior is by far the single largest cause of the difficulties that each of us experience in life. Most problems are people problems, and the people who cause our problems are quite often us.” We are often our own worst enemies and the problems that we can cause simply by forgetting what God’s Word says or by forgetting to focus on the finish line can be catastrophic.

Jesus Christ died for His bride, the church. He wants His bride to be unified and much of the New Testament talks about how the church can stay united in difficult times. Today as we begin the last chapter in Philippians, we’ll find ourselves in the middle of an argument that is threatening the unity in Philippi. Rather than picking sides, Paul reminds this church to focus on Jesus and to rejoice in Christ alone. This is the message that FBC Salem and every church needs today: In times of division and delight, focus on Christ Alone.

Philippians 4:1–9 CSB

1 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. 2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. 9 Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

True Agreement is Found in Christ Alone (1-3)

Paul loves this church and these people. Outside of Ephesus, Paul didn’t usually hang around the cities where he planted churches for more than a few months… Yet in the short time that he was in Philippi, this congregation left a lasting mark on this man. He calls them his joy and crown - meaning that they were his joy in the Lord because God had worked in their lives and they were his crown in the sense that all of his hard work laboring for Jesus wasn’t in vain. They were the proof that his work of proclaiming the Gospel had fallen on fertile soil. His instruction to these people is simple: Stand firm in the Lord.

Philippi was a secular city. The people worshipped the Roman gods and many of them were retired Roman soldiers… At the conclusion of this book, Paul writes to stand firm and as we understand the context of this letter we better understand what Paul is getting at. Paul is arriving at another military illustration. Just as Epaphroditus was a fellow soldier to Paul in Philippians 2:25 and how Paul instructed the Philippians to stand firm and not be frightened by their opponents in Philippians 1:27-28, here he gives them yet another command. Stand firm in battle formation against false teachers and enemies of the faith. Stand firm against enemies of the cross. Their only hope to do this is to be united in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to stand upon His Word. Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God and this is the same image that Paul is painting here - there’s a battle taking place and if you’re a Christian, you are commanded to stand firm in the Lord.

This phrase “In the Lord” is so important and it shows up 3x in these 9 verses. See, we live in a world where we place our confidence in ourselves and in our knowledge and possessions. But the Bible doesn’t tell us to do this. The Bible tells us instead to

Proverbs 3:5–6 CSB

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.

We are called to trust in the Lord! As we stand on God’s Word we look to our left and right and we quickly realize that there are others, at least here at FBC Salem, who are standing on God’s Word as well and that we are not alone. That even though we don’t always remember it, we’re in agreement in Christ.

Think of some of the different agreements that are out there. Whenever you get a new phone or electronic device you usually have to set it up and this process takes far longer than it should and at the very end there’s usually a long document with lots of bold words and if you’re anything like me you just begin to scroll mindlessly down to the bottom to click the “I agree to the terms and conditions and have read everything in this document” button so that you can move on! Sometimes we agree to things that we don’t fully understand or even care to understand. Other times we agree with someone on something even though we disagree with them on other things. With high school sports about to start up around Missouri this is a timely reminder. Even though you might disagree with another person from another town about which high school team to root for, if you’re both from Missouri, chances are you’re both Chiefs fans or Mizzou fans. We might agree about some things but we’ll disagree about others. This is even true in relationships - regardless of how many years you’ve been married or known one another, couples still disagree over certain things. Who is the better driver? Who cooks the best food? Who is the smartest? Where is the best vacation destination? What to watch on TV after the kids go to bed? The list goes on - even with the people that we love the most, there can be disagreement.

We’re all people and we’ll always disagree about some things… But disagreement can quickly lead to disunity and disunity can quickly cause division if we’re not careful! As much as Paul loves this church, this isn’t a perfect church. Here he names names… this is a big deal! There’s a disagreement going on between 2 women, Euodia and Syntyche. What was the debate or disagreement? We aren’t told. Scholars share that it probably wasn’t a theological issue because Paul doesn’t side with one or the other and if it was a theological issue he would certainly set the record straight. The problem was probably relational - you know these types of relational problems, right? So and so sat in my pew last week, why on earth would they do that? So and so said this thing a couple of months ago and it rubbed me the wrong way, I’m not going to talk to them anymore. This person is wired this way and I’m wired the other way, they must be wrong and I must be right. We understand relational problems because we all have relational problems! Here’s the problem: Problems outside of the church can lead to division inside of the church.

This is why Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount that whenever you’re worshipping, if you remember a problem that you have with a brother or sister, it’s better for you to stop worshipping, solve the problem, and then come back and worship after your heart is in the right place! Problems are a big deal. This is why Paul urges them to stop this disagreement and agree in the Lord. There’s that phrase again… You and I will disagree about a lot of things. We’ll disagree about silly things like which food group or color is the best, we’ll disagree about more serious things like our dream job or our likes and dislikes… We might even disagree about some Bible things like which book is our favorite or about our interpretation about a particular idea or topic… But what unites us? What can we all agree about as Christians? We MUST all agree on Jesus. Think about this problem going on. It was serious enough for Paul, in prison, to address in a letter. It was serious enough to be read aloud for the entire church to hear - talk about awkward for these 2 women! And it was serious enough to be written in the Bible for generations thousands of years later to remember these women by this disagreement. Does God take disagreement seriously? You’d better believe He does!

Now, does this mean that we’re robots and that we can’t have differences of opinions? Absolutely not. God has wired us all differently and that’s a wonderful thing because we’re able to accomplish so much more together than we could ever do apart… But when it comes to following God’s Word and being united in His Word, we have to take our calling seriously. True agreement isn’t found in liking the same food or teams, it’s not even in being apart of the same earthly family or going to the same school. True agreement is found in belonging to Jesus Christ and having your name written in His book of life! Whenever you agree on Jesus, you can disagree on a whole bunch of things and still love one another and worship together because we put the needs of others above the needs of ourselves. Jesus wants us to be bridge builders, not bridge bombers. If we ever put our needs first and don’t humble ourselves, we will quickly allow differences to cause division. This isn’t what Jesus wants - He wants His church to be a beacon of unity and light for the nations to see.

True Joy is Found in Christ Alone (4-5)

Just as true agreement is found in belonging to Jesus, true joy is found in belonging to Jesus as well! So many people want to make others conform to their way of thinking… In a world like this, humility will stand out. In a world where people are upset, complaining, and frustrated, rejoicing will equally stand out.

This church is struggling - there is division and the potential for disunity to breakout… What is the solution? Paul doesn’t suggest but he gives them an imperative command to rejoice in the Lord. Not just one time - not just once a week at church - not just whenever you feel like it… It’s an active verb indicating continued joy. The solution to division is to be united by joy that is found in Jesus. Rejoice in the Lord… Always… Continue to Rejoice! Church, what a message that we all need to hear today! Maybe you’re here and there is a conflict between you and another brother or sister in Christ, rejoice in the Lord and solve that problem and get back to rejoicing in all that God has done. Maybe you’re here and you’re struggling with a relationship or a situation at work, rejoice in the Lord in the good and bad and trust in His perfect plan. This is the theme of this book - this idea shows up time and time again and we wonder why! Because rejoicing in difficult times isn’t easy… In fact, it goes against our natural human processes. Who in their right mind would rejoice whenever there is a conflict going on? Who in their right mind would rejoice whenever they’re locked in prison? Who in their right mind would rejoice whenever they are on their death bed? Only 2 people can do this, a mad man or the one who has been saved by Jesus Christ and views death as gain.

As the song says, “In Christ Alone… My Hope is Found.” Not in my health alone. Not in my job alone. Not in my money alone. Not in my family alone. Not in my knowledge alone. In Christ alone! We rejoice in Jesus Christ and as we rejoice in Him, we remember that He is with us in our mountain top and in our valley low.

J Oswald Sanders once shared that, “Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” Are you ready for some good news, Christian? The God of the Bible promises to never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). He promises to be near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:8). He promises to be with you to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). This means simply that you and I can experience true, lasting joy in Jesus at any time because He is with us wherever we find ourselves at.

True Peace is Found in Christ Alone (6-7)

Not only does the presence of Jesus give us joy, His presence also gives us peace. Think of a place that you run to that can give you peace. We’re so blessed with where we live as there are many peaceful places in our neck of the woods. Maybe for you its a creek on your property. For others maybe it’s the view atop a hill. For others maybe it’s the bluffs overlooking the river. For some maybe it’s not so much a place as an event or activity that you enjoy doing. We all have things that help give us peace and we need places and things that we can run to in the middle of seasons of stress and chaos. One of the problems in our world, experts agree, is that we never slow down. We’re a fast paced society that’s always looking ahead to the next “big” thing and we don’t know how to rest. Whenever you live that way, it’s easy to worry not just about some things but literally about everything! In the midst of a generation of worriers and in society full of busyness, we need to carefully heed the words of Scripture and slow down.

The Greek word for worry is Merimnao and the literal definition of the word is to be anxious for or to care about. It’s found 20x in the New Testament and most of those usages are actually by Jesus in the Gospels as he tells people to not worry. This goes back to Matthew 6 and Luke 12 in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus shares to not worry about your life or about tomorrow or about your needs today. Why would Jesus say to not worry about those genuine concerns? Because God already knows what we need. Are you ready for some mind blowing truth? God already has the answer for your need. God is already working out that answer. He has saved you, and He won’t abandon you. He is the good shepherd who walks with His followers even through the valley of the shadow of death. See, anxiety is a joy killer and worry can be like a prison. If you’ve never dealt with either then you might be saying that the solution is to simply break out of the prison. That would be just as easy as Paul breaking out of house arrest with Roman guards watching him. Could it happen? You bet it can because God is in control and God does break His people out of jail at times - read the book of Acts! But the fact of the matter is that stress, worry, and anxiety are taxing things in our lives for a variety of reasons and we desperately want to rid them from our lives. How can we do this? What is the cure from things that want to rob us of our peace, joy, and excitement? If you’re familiar with Matthew 6, then you know the answer that Paul gives here is the ultimate answer.

In the middle of anxiety we often struggle for control - are you ready for some good news? God is the One in control and on His throne. He hasn’t abdicated His throne. He’s still sitting down. Whenever we worry we so often gaze at our problem and struggle internally to gain control of the problem - there are things in our lives that are too big for us to control… So rest assured that even if you feel like you’re losing control, God is sovereign and seated on His throne. He’s in control. He keeps His Word. Think of the things in your life that attempt to rob you of your peace and joy - are you ready for some good news? God isn’t worried. Steve Lawson shares this, “There is no panic in heaven, but only plans to work out His good purposes in your life.” You can have peace because God is the giver of peace and Jesus is the prince of peace.

As we reflect on that truth, how do we handle stress and difficulty? Philippians 4:6 tells us that we do this through prayer. This doesn’t mean that God answers our prayers the way that we expect - but whenever you remember the One that you and I pray to, you can have peace that He hears, knows, cares, and loves us in the middle of the good and bad that we walk through. He truly is with us. And His peace will guard us.

1 Peter 5:7 CSB

7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.

Our good shepherd promises to provide for the birds and the grass and they are temporary and far less valuable than us. He will provide for His children. Maybe not what with what we want… But He will provide what we need. Find your rest in the Lord! Fight anxiety on your knees praying to the One who holds you in His hands.

True peace isn’t found in earthly protection. Paul was being guarded by the most dedicated soldiers in the Roman legion: Praetorian guards… But more importantly, he shares that the peace of God guards faithful followers of Jesus Christ. This world idolizes peace but true peace isn’t found in things, people, or security… True peace is found in Christ alone. He alone can satisfy and save our anxious and worried hearts unlike anything this world has to offer. If you don’t know the peace that is found in Christ, I pray that today that might change and that Jesus would not only change your mindset but that He would change everything about you because, finally

True Change is Found in Christ Alone (8-9)

Paul concludes with a How-to list and given our culture’s obsession with how’to’s you’d expect Philippians 4:8-9 to be the verse written on coffee mugs and t-shirts just like Philippians 4:13 and John 3:16! We love clear instructions that are attainable so that we can change ourselves through hard work and much effort. Think about that - everyone loves Philippians 4:13 because we can do whatever we want, right? That’s what it says. You can run a 2 minute mile. You can fly like a bird. You can get a perfect score on the ACT. You can become a billionaire. After all, you and I can do all things… We can do whatever we want if we just follow this magical formula, right? So often the “change” that we want in our lives isn’t genuine change but it’s simply more of the same. This is the danger with the message of simply following your heart. See, the Bible tells us that we need a new heart. That Jesus changes our heart and that He changes everything about us! The problem with a how-to manual for salvation is that it will always lead us to despair because we can’t “how-to” it enough to be good enough to save ourselves. We’re unsaveable based on our works and thoughts. We need help - we need Christ to change us. Not just our actions but we need Him to literally change everything about us, including our mind.

The mind is a battleground. We might put on a good face on the outside but inside it’s a struggle… This is why Paul concludes with these internal goals. Tony Merida shares, “What we think matters, and it matters more than we think.” See, we’ll never think perfectly but perfection isn’t the sustainable goal for the Christian. Instead, it’s about aiming for God’s target more so than hitting the bullseye. Our hope isn’t to try harder, but to rely heavier on the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. As we follow His lead, we do these 8 things in our mind. We dwell on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent, and praiseworthy. These are the things that we are to dwell and meditate on as believers. Preachers have preached 45 minute sermons on these 2 verses and you all don’t want another 45 minute sermon. Just as Jesus had changed Paul’s life - Jesus continues to change lives today. The change brought about by Jesus isn’t temporary but eternal. Jesus changes our mind from focusing on sinful things to focusing on things that bring Him glory. He changes us from feeling bitter and jealous to feeling grateful and joyful.

Think about the things that you dwell on in life. If someone offends you, do you dwell on that and let it stew for hours and hours? If someone lies to you, do you dwell on that and let it ruin your day? If you see something bad, does it unleash anger in you with no end in sight? We need to guard our mind and be careful to control what we dwell on because what you dwell on can quickly become what you do. Christ saves us to serve Him and reflect His image to the watching world. Therefore, we have to make sure that the things that we put into our brains are good. That we focus on what is true, and honorable, and just, and pure. As a teenager my dad always taught me, garbage in, garbage out. I was a teenager and thought that he didn’t know what he was talking about… But as I began to hang around a different crowd in junior high I quickly realized how I was being influenced by the people that I was spending time with. The words that they would say on the basketball court or track would quickly filter into my brain and, if I wasn’t careful, they’d come out of my mouth. The things that we watch on TV, the things that we consume regularly, the things that people do around us have a profound impact on our lives - Jesus wants us to be in the world but not of the world. This requires us to change! And true, lasting change, is only found in Christ.

Pauls closing call to action is to put into practice what these people have learned, received, heard, and seen. Paul faithfully modeled and taught this church what it means to follow Christ. Think about your life this morning. Where do you learn about Christ? I pray that you learn about Jesus as you read His Word at home throughout the week, but I also pray that you learn as you worship at church! Paul preached the Gospel to these people - they learned from Him. Further, they received this letter from Him and this letter would have been read aloud for all the Christians to hear. But more than hearing from Paul, they had seen this man live a Christlike life. They had seen firsthand the change that Jesus had brought to his life! Have others seen the change that only Jesus can bring in your life? Has He saved you from the punishment of your sins and given you a new heart? Is the God of peace with you and continuing to protect you today?

Conclusion

Our world needs Jesus Christ. We need the hope, peace, joy, and salvation that only He can bring to our lives. Several years ago, Matt Boswell (songwriter who works with the Getty’s at times) found that his son was having trouble sleeping at night. They had lost a loved one and the idea of death troubled his young son. Boswell, also a pastor, knew that his son needed the hope that only Jesus can provide. He went to work with his friends and began to play a simple chorus, “Now and ever we confess… Christ our Hope in Life and Death.” Whenever his son would begin to have these nightmares, he’d sing to himself this tune. Fast forward to COVID-19 and millions around the world began to sing this tune and looked to Jesus alone to provide them with hope and peace in the midst of crazy times. Today, we all need to remember the truth that we need Jesus. We need Jesus to give us hope. We need Jesus to help us stand firm. We need Jesus to have lasting joy. We need Jesus to help us to agree with one another in a divisive and cold world. Our only hope for these things is Jesus Christ!

Evaluate where you’re at today

Am I standing firm in myself or in the Lord?

Do I agree in the Lord with my brothers and sisters or do I cause problems?

Am I rejoicing in Jesus or am I imprisoned by worry?

Am I dwelling on the right things?

We’re all sinners and we’re all going to fall short - but in Christ there is forgiveness. Let us make sure that we give one another grace within the body of Christ today and not allow disagreement to lead to division. James tells us to flee from the devil and we need to check our heart and make sure that we always remember that we’re a part of the same body and that we have the same mission. It all starts with Jesus! May we at FBC Salem be people who unashamedly stand firm on God’s Word. May we be people who agree in the Lord. And in sickness, health, victory, defeat, feast, or famine, may we be people who find unquenchable and irresistible joy in Jesus as we grow with one another.

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