Nathan E. Lewis

“The Peace of the Gospel”
Philippians 4: 1-9
Sermon preached by Nathan E. Lewis at Ascension PCA and Evergreen PCA
Beaverton, Oregon

The whole world is longing for peace. In my childhood in the 60’s we sang in school: Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
In the 70’s we sang:
I’d like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow-white turtle doves
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company
I’d like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace throughout the land
That’s the song I hear
Let the world sing today
A song of peace that echoes on
And never goes away.
Peter, Paul, and Mary sang,
If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning
I’d hammer in the evening all over this land
I’d hammer out danger
I’d hammer out a warning
I’d hammer out love between my brothers
and my sisters,
All over this land.
If we truly desire peace then we need to do more than sing
about it. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”
The Church in the city of Philippi was not free of problems. Notice how Paul introduces and addresses the relational strife in the church: Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. Then he goes to the source of the relational strife, addressing two women who are at odds with each other. But Paul also requests a third party to help these two women sort out their differences.
Euodia and Syntyche were active members working alongside Paul and others. They have labored side by side with Paul in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of his fellow workers. So often, when our personal sins begin to impact the church community, church leaders can make us feel like we are completely wrong, destructive, and unworthy. Notice how the apostle Paul expresses his genuine admiration, honor and love of these two women. Do you desire peace in your relationships? In the church? Take this lesson from Paul: As we address personal problems we should do so in the context of affirmation and expression of Christ-like love and co-working in the mission of Christ. As we fail to do so, we increase the polarization and drive the wedge deeper and wider. We become instruments of the relational strife increasing its power and devastation.
Paul implores these two women to agree in the Lord. Must we agree on everything to maintain peace? Some people think that they must break union with anyone who doesn’t agree with them on every issue. There is no peace unless we all agree on every point. Paul pleads with Euodia and Syntyche, to agree in the Lord. It may be helpful to read another sound translation, “to be of the same mind in the Lord.” Paul does not expect these two women to agree on everything, especially on details of method driven by personal preference and style. He is pleading with them to return to a relationship influenced by the gospel. He pleads for them to remember their union in Christ and to approach every issue, which divides them, as two women united in Christ.
Moises Silva, in his commentary writes, “Many readers tend to view Euodia and Syntyche in a negative light – troublemakers in an otherwise model church. Most likely, however, what we have here is not a personal quarrel between cantankerous old women, but rather a substantive division within the church leadership, which from the very beginning consisted largely of faithful women.” Often times in the church as we work alongside each other in the name of Christ to expand the kingdom of God our community, we are frustrated by difference of opinion. Some of us would execute a task differently than another co-worker. Some of us feel strongly that this project should be done precisely our way and no other way. It’s the right way often because it is the only way we know how to do it. This robs the church of its peace.
Paul reminds these women and the entire church that
our names are written in the book of life. The Book of Life is not a hardback, a leatherbound, or a paperback, but rather a metaphor for our union to God for all eternity. Nothing can separate us from God and his love in Christ Jesus and so, nothing should separate us from each other.
Paul presents a series of commands toward peace. His first command toward peace is for us to rejoice in the Lord: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! To rejoice in the Lord means that we must first view the world as God views it. When we have the mind, heart, and will of God for the world, we will be able to rejoice no matter how problematic we find our circumstances. Christian joy is not like a crazed Nero fiddling while Rome burned. Christian joy does not move us to laugh at a funeral. Christian joy does not render us smiling saps, never facing reality. Christian joy does maintain our certain hope that God does all things right. Christian joy eradicates the bitterness that eats our stomach linings and contorts our faces miserably.
Paul’s second command toward peace is an observable
gentleness. Are you a gentle person? Some of us are gentle at work but tyrants at home. Some of us are gentle at church but angry with the world. If you, like myself, need some motivation to be gentle, Paul reminds us, “The Lord is near.” By this Paul reminds us that God is ever mindful of what we think, say, and do. He may also be reminding us that at any moment, God is coming as Judge, to usher us into the eternal age. Paul may also be reminding us that our God very present is in control and so we do not have to raise our voices or execute power plays to make people do what we think they ought to do. In gentleness we express our reliance upon a present and controlling God to work his will. In gentleness we are relieved of our manipulative ploys. In gentleness we promote peace.
Paul’s third command toward peace calls us to pray: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God. Prayer maintains relational peace. We pray for each other and pray together for the world. In prayer we come to trust in God. This promotes peace. As we pray in the name of Jesus, we express our union in Christ.
In (7) Paul says that the peace of God will guard our hearts
and our minds in Christ Jesus. It is at this point that Paul departs from most world teachings about peace. The source of the peace Paul commands is an alien peace that indwells us. The source of peace is divine. This divine peace, Paul writes elsewhere is personal, none other than Jesus Christ himself. He is our peace. On the cross Jesus died to make peace between a holy God and us. In every present relationship strained by disagreement and problems of every kind, let us take hope that unity and peace may come. One of the more mysterious aspects of God’s peace is its mending of an impossible relationship. We say, “That marriage had grounds for divorce but God has poured out his peace to unite husband to wife when we could see no hope for them.” We say, “That man is the most dogmatic person we have ever known. He is always right and everyone else is always wrong. Who would have ever thought that he would admit that he was wrong and ask someone else to express an opinion on this topic!”
Paul’s fourth command toward peace is our thinking rightly: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. We often think the worst of each other or of the world. Our minds are in the gutter. Have you been robbed of your peace, your mind mulling over the injustices done against you? Sometimes I search my brain in vain for the beautiful quote I heard a day or two ago, while I can instantly remember every evil word spoken against me a decade in the past. And so we beg God to renew our minds and by his grace and in his spiritual strength we discipline our minds to dwell on the good. The more our minds dwell upon the good, the more inner peace we enjoy.
Paul’s fifth command toward peace is a matter of holy
behavior: What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. God has given to us in these last days the apostles as role models. Paul tells us to practice according to what he has modeled for us in his life. What have we learned from Paul? We have learned that God is our Savior and no one else. We have learned to respond to God by faith and repentance. We have learned to put the interests of others before our own. We have learned to desire union with Christ in his death and in his resurrection, to live in resurrection power. If inner peace is a matter of the mind, we ought to meditate upon the apostles’ teaching. Such consideration will direct us to meditate upon the teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels. These beautiful and powerful words will connect us to the ancient teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures. In all of it we will be hearing the very words of God and to be saturated with the truth will calm our fears, our anger, our dissatisfactions, our disagreements. Such truth will answer our questions, our doubts, our arguments with God. Such truth will lead us again and again to the gospel of God pursuing us, finding us, liberating us, and empowering us. We will be at peace with God and one another.
Paul promises us that as we set our minds on the good,
beginning to practice rightly, God’s peace will grow within each of us. Listen to the gospel of peace preached by our Lord Jesus: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. The apostle Paul has said, “As far as it depends on you be at peace with all men.”
I am a recovering worrywart, peace monger, and eager rabble-rouser. With Bono I’m still singing about peace:
Heaven on Earth
We need it now
I’m sick of all of this
Hanging around
Sick of sorrow
Sick of pain
Sick of hearing again and again
That there’s gonna be
Peace on Earth….
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace of Earth
Jesus this song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won’t rhyme
So what’s it worth?
This Peace on Earth

The apostles and Jesus, the Prince of Peace, inform my life beyond cynicism. Our peace has come and he rules in our hearts. Amen.

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