Good morning.
Today, we continue our series on the book of Philippians entitled Love and Joy. Have you been enjoying this series so far? Praise God. Today, we end the series as we explore the last chapter of Philippians: Chapter four. Before we begin, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
<Prayer>
Introduction: Harmony
This is a picture of an orchestra and a choir. It’s a familiar picture and I am showing this picture because it lies at the heart of what we will be talking about today. In the middle of this orchestra is the conductor. The conductor is the heart and soul of an orchestra, guiding every musician through tempo, dynamics, and expression. While the audience may see only sweeping gestures which sometimes makes the conductor very funny to us, each tiny movement - a flick of the wrist, a raised eyebrow, a momentary glance—carries meaning to the musicians.
In fact, musicians know their conductors so well that any unexpected problem can mean chaos. A delayed cue, a moment of uncertainty, or an unexpected issue—such as a lost baton or even a brief lapse in focus—can send the entire performance into disarray. The orchestra’s harmony depends not just on skill or the musical piece in front of them but on trust in their leader.
This is the only way that an orchestra produces a harmonious sound.
I think all of us desire harmony, don’t we? We want a harmonious home, harmonious community, harmonious church. It is important to underscore though that harmony does not mean uniformity. Like the instrumentalists in an orchestra, we all do not have to play the same instruments or the same notes in order to make a beautiful symphony. In fact we are not expected to! Harmony is the result when everyone plays based on our own strengths, our own roles, and each one of us taking our cue from someone or something beyond ourselves. Otherwise, we just all end up doing what we want to do. And that becomes the source of disharmony and strains relationships and puts love to test.
Today, we will look into three parts of the Philippians four:
Reconcile Authentically
Think and Live Rightly
Give Sacrificially
Main Point #1: Reconcile Authentically
The chapter begins with a fight between two women:
Philippians 4
1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Now, we are not sure why Euodia and Syntyche were fighting. It is possible that the issue may be a really big one, enough to be brought to Paul’s attention. We also know that in Philippi women enjoy more freedom than in other parts, so it is also possible that both carried some influence over people. Whatever the reason may be, Paul pleads for harmony. Paul asks for both to be of the same mind in the Lord. In other words, he desires for them to be united by looking to the same conductor - the Lord - and making sure that their minds are set towards him.
Paul is being very clear about what it means for us to have genuine harmony - in our families, workplace and church. As far as Paul is concerned, without a conductor in the equation - and in this case Jesus Christ - there cannot be real unity.
In our political life, we know what this means. We have all been asked to be united by our political leaders, and that is a good goal. But unity for the sake of unity without a clear articulation of what we all need to be uniting around, or who we need to be uniting around – well – we end up with Congressional hearings that do not seem to end!
Paul also instructs in his letter that “you, my true companion, help these women”. We are not sure who this companion is. It could not have been Timothy because Timothy was writing the letter with Paul. So some believe it is Luke or a man named Epaphroditus. But we do not know for sure. But whoever this person is, he is now being asked to be the mediator or the peacemaker who will be instrumental to reconcile these two women.
Reconciliation
Recently, I have been thinking about reconciliation a lot. If you have opened your heart to people - family or friends - there will always be a possibility of being hurt, correct? Often, the easiest way is to simply ignore the problem. As Filipinos, we are very good at that. But deep in our hearts, we also know that we desire some level of reconciliation with people who have hurt us. Or even people whom we have hurt.
Reconciliation Step 1: An Authentic Heart
I have come to realize that the very first step to reconciliation is to have an Authentic Heart. What do I mean by that?
A few months ago, I was talking with a woman here in church. It took a long time for her to finally decide to join a DGroup. So when she finally joined one, I was very keen to know what she thought about it. At this point, she had been joining for a few months already, and I asked her how it was going. She said, “Grabeha man diay ani nila dong.” I said “Why?”. “Abi man nakog mga Christians na ni sila, mag-sige man ug away-away!”. She had thought she was joining a group of perfect, angelic, ladies with halos and cute wings. But she had a rude awakening: They were frank, honest with each other, and had disagreements.
I talked to Ptr Joseph about this once and he said something very insightful. He said, you see Brian, people are not used to this kind of Christianity. For many of us, we have been raised in a traditional way. Every Sunday, we are all supposed to wear our Sunday’s best. You come to church in your best clothes. You walk towards your and listen to the sermon. Quietly. If mama will hear so much as a giggle, you get the stern look. So you sit up. To everyone else, you are the perfect family. There must not be a hint of anything otherwise.
After the service, you meet with other Christians at the lobby.
“Bro, how are you?”
“Good… good… God is good…”
“Everything good with the family?”
“YES! Yes! Yes… All good. God is good. How about you bro?”
“Ahmm… God is good bro..”
The kids all looking at this stage play saying to themselves: Nope. “I wish someone asked us that question.”
Monday to Saturday, at home, that’s when the real truth comes out. Problems back and forth, deep and real issues we struggle with. But when Sunday roles again, put on your Sunday’s best.
So I told the woman who joined the DGroup: I praise God! Because now, you see exactly what a church community truly is as designed by God. Now, you have the real opportunity to show to your fellow sisters the love of God. And as you open up your own weaknesses and frailties to your DGroup, you will find sisters who will love you enough to tell you the truth. Of course this is uncomfortable. Of course it may hurt, but it is real.
My friends, can we commit to authenticity? Can we shake off the shackles of a culture full of pretentiousness and shallow niceties.
1 Samuel 16:7
The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Reconciliation Step 2: Authentic Repentance
The next step towards the path of reconciliation is authentic repentance. Repentance is defined in the Bible as “a turning from sin” and a “changing of mind”. You see it is more than just saying, “I’m sorry.” Talk is cheap.
Authentic repentance means we can demonstrate our own “turning from sin” and “changing of mind” through a change in our actions.
Luke in the book of Acts records Paul saying this about his preaching:
Acts 26:20
I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.
Joseph: Testing Repentance
This requires therefore that we test each other’s repentance. A beautiful picture of this is the story of Joseph in Genesis. Many of you already know this. As a young man, Joseph is the victim of envy. His brothers envied him because he was the favorite of their father. So when the opportunity struck, the brothers all ganged up on him and sold him as a slave to Egypt.
Many of us know the story. As a slave in Egypt, Joseph endured many hardships and injustices. But through it all, Joseph has never lost his faith. He continued to do what is right and gained favor from his earthly masters. By the providence of God, 22 years after being sold by his brothers as a slave, Joseph has risen to the highest office in Egypt, second only to Pharoah.
So here we are. Joseph is now well-placed as a high official in Egypt, fully in charge of Egypt’s food resources. His brothers, on the other hand, have been brought so low that they found themselves having to beg for food to endure the long years of famine. The drama unfolds in a scene where Joseph finds himself face to face with his eleven brothers who did not recognize him. Joseph needed to know for himself if these men have indeed changed since the last time they met. So what did he do? He tests them.
Genesis 44:1-2
Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 2 Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
Joseph "tested his brothers" by secretly placing his silver cup in the bag of their youngest brother, Benjamin, and then accusing them of theft, essentially wanting to see if they had changed their character. But there was a far more important test, Joseph wanted to know if they would still act selflessly to protect their family by taking responsibility for Benjamin's supposed crime.
The brothers have indeed repented. Thanks to the leadership of Judah, who was not even the eldest brother, the brothers demonstrated to Joseph that they have changed.
I will leave it to you to find out what happened next. It’s a beautiful family drama in Genesis. But what I wanted to illustrate is this: Authentic repentance is something demonstrable. It is far more than a simple, “I’m sorry”.
Reconciliation Step 3: Authentic Forgiveness
Now just as the offending party must show authentic repentance, the offended party must now show authentic forgiveness. Forgiveness is the “dismissal” or the “release” of something or someone. Lewis B. Smedes, a Christian author and ethicist, wrote about forgiveness:
"Forgiveness is setting the prisoner free, only to find out that the prisoner was you."
I was talking with a brother during DGroup about forgiveness. My brother shared that ever since he was a young boy, he has never really felt the love of his own mother. You see he was not a wanted baby. And now as a young man, he has for so long craved the love and affection of his own mother. Instead he received either emotional distance or unreasonable anger from his mother, until now.
This brother met Christ as a young boy. He has accepted Jesus in his heart and have walked in faith since. But the lingering hurts he has for his mom remains. He knew he has forgiven his mother in the past, especially after having known the forgiveness of Christ. But during our DGroup, he asked a very honest question:
“Kuya, do I have to forgive and forget?”
The question was as raw and as real as it gets. He knows he needs to forgive. But he cannot forget all those years of hurt that continue up to this day. Even if he tries as hard as he can, the pain has become so familiar and recurring, that it is almost impossible for now to forget.
Another person in our group shared the familiar verse and insight which I thought was so true:
Matthew 18:21-22
"Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
You see we often think of this verse as the number of offenses a brother needs to make and how each time we have to forgive. I think that is true. But also, I think it also means each time we remember the hurt caused by even a single offense, every time we recall the pain and suffering we had to go through, every time we had to endure all over again the injustices we had long ago thought we have forgotten - at that point: Forgive again.
My friend, are you still hurt about something someone did to you? I do not for one second make light of this pain. There are some pains so great it becomes a part of who you are. But my encouragement is this: There is a God whose spring of forgiveness does not run dry. And from this spring you and I can find the strength to forgive. Every time we remember, we can always choose to forgive.
Authentic forgiveness is a commitment to forgive. Every day. For the rest of our lives until we meet Christ.
Main Point # 2: Think and Live Rightly
Now let’s look at the second part:
Reconcile Authentically
Think and Live Rightly
Give Sacrificially
Paul continues:
Philippians 4
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.
First of all, can I just point out how strange it is that Paul who was in prison is the one giving the church encouragement! We are supposed to be free, and he is supposed to be in chains. And yet, he can say these things! Indeed he has the peace which transcends all understanding, coz I cannot understand it!
Turn Worry to Prayers
The other thing that we can learn here is how much this aligns with what we talked about earlier. You see Paul wants us to be honest to the fact that we do worry. Who among us here does not worry, not even a tiny bit. The only people who do not worry are those already buried in the cemetery. Correct? They are truly resting in peace.
But what Paul is saying is this: Turn your worry into prayers. Every time you are anxious about anything, pray. I don’t know if I have enough for groceries next month, pray. I am feeling a lump in a body part, pray. I don’t know if I did my best in the exam I just took. Pray. The one who worries the most, prays the most.
Put Excellence Into Practice
Of course this does not mean that we do not have to do everything on our part. This does not mean we can simply put in mediocre work and pray.
We are all guilty of this, right? How many times have we ordered the most unhealthy fast food, or oiliest, fattest lechon part, or the sweetest most delectable dessert, then gathered together around this diabetes, high-blood pressure, and heart disease-inducing meal, closed our eyes and prayed: “Dear Lord, please nourish our bodies… and provide for us sustenance through these your blessings… which we are about to receive… Restore to us good health, Oh Lord….”
In fact, Paul cannot be clearer:
Philippians 4
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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Paul tells us: Think about what is right and good, and more importantly - put them into practice!
Do Not Lie
There is a docu-series in Netflix that my wife and I saw called Apple Cider Vinegar. Who has seen it?
The series tells the true story of an Australian woman named Belle Gibson who founded a wellness company centered around healthy food. You see Belle Gibson as a young mother who was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. But rather than submit to medical treatment, she decided to cure herself through alternative medicine, primarily healthy food. So she curated recipes online and shared this to her online followers in 2013. Soon she accumulated a worldwide following of health aficionados, including cancer patients who committed themselves to the wellness regimen Belle Gibson endorsed.
The only problem is: She never had cancer. All of this was unravelled in 2017 after a string of very public events finally exposed the whole truth and led to her downfall.
If you watch the 60 minutes interview with the real Belle Gibson, you will find a woman who has made a life from making up lies. The lies have been so deep that when asked about her cancer diagnosis, she could not even give a straight answer. She has become entrapped in the lies she has built around herself. And faced with the reality of her situation, she can not recognize the truth anymore.
My friends, the Bible teaches us today something serious: Let us put our minds to what is true. In other words, let us reject lying. The lies that we make, we will end up believing. And it is the nature of a lie to grow and grow until we can no longer recognize the truth any more. If we allow our minds to make up lies, and believe in lies, it will push the lies to the fullest extent until it will imperil us. After all, Jesus has made it very clear:
John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
The Lord Gives Strength For Discipline
We all need discipline. Discipline is always hard because it does not come naturally to us. My wife pointed out to me once: The root word of discipline is disciple. Therefore, we cannot be followers or disciples of Christ if we do not discipline ourselves to think and do as a disciple ought.
Paul makes it clear that discipline begins with the mind: We need to think about the right things first. Our own behaviour and habits spring from our mind. And like any muscle, the brain must be exercised by disciplining it to think about the right things.
Philippians 4
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Here Paul is making it clear: discipline is something we have to learn. It oftentimes goes beyond our natural inclinations to go wherever our selfish feelings want to go. In his prison cell, Paul has learned to be content in every situation. How is he able to go through this discipline? It is the Lord who gives him strength.
Praise God! It always worries me sometimes how many of us abuse Philippians 4:13. Reading the verse on its own, it opens up to many interpretations. Including justifying wrong behaviour. For example, I could be struggling financially and yet go to the mall after this service and buy an iPhone 16 Pro Max on my credit card. Maybe even spend a little bit more for a new pair of shoes. Then treat myself out to a fancy dinner, coz I don’t know, I deserve a nice meal from all that shopping.
A month from now, I see my credit card bill and wonder how I’ll be able to pay for it.
“I can do this. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
No. The strength that God provides is the strength that should teach me contentment instead. Not the strength to pursue the things that puff up my own pride.
Main Point #3: Give Sacrificially
Finally, let’s look at the third and final part:
Reconcile Authentically
Think and Live Rightly
Give Sacrificially
In the last part of Paul’s letter, he acknowledges the help that the Philippian church provided to him:
Philippians 4
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
What we can learn here is how Paul describes the gifts that the Philippians gave - a sacrifice.
Once, I went to one of the pharmacies here in our city. Sometimes, you will notice small statues that store owners put as representation of a god. In this particular pharmacy - I will not say which statue it was - but it was placed there, and on top of it, someone placed a small packet of biscuit. I am not making this up. I was so surprised that it took me a few seconds to process what I was looking at. At that point, I was wondering, what kind of person would genuinely consider something as an apt representation of a god, and consider that the most fitting sacrifice to give is a small packet of biscuit?
Is it possible that we have grown so accustomed to not giving our best, that we have fallen into the lie of thinking that God does not even deserve the best that we can offer? Can we honestly look at our selves, consider the many resources that God has so graciously provided to us, and when the time is needed to show our love in the area of our giving, we cannot even be inconvenienced beyond a packet of biscuit?
Testimony
I have asked a brother to share with us his testimony. Friends, let’s welcome, Bro. Mongx Mongmongan.
<Testimony>
Praise God! We are joined by Brother Mongx’s wife Catherine and their children. As well as Mike and Anne Flores, their DGroup Leaders. Brother Mike and sister Anne, by the way, are the leaders of our Host Team - which is the team of the ushers that are here around us.
Were you blessed by Brother Mongx? You know, when I spoke with Brother Mongx last week, I asked him about his ministry. He said he used to be in Welcome Center, but he and his wife is praying to be part of NXTGen because he wanted to serve with his children. I am so encouraged. My friends, are giving sacrificially to the Lord?
Let us pray for them.
<Prayer>
Communion
Today, is the first Sunday of the month, and as is our practice, we will celebrate communion. It is fitting that our communion verses in 1 Corinthians is actually backdropped by a disunity in the church of Corinth:
1 Corinthians 11
18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.
So Paul provides for the church proper guidelines for their communion, so that it will truly be glorifying to God:
1 Corinthians 11
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
As we celebrate communion today, let us be mindful of the message of the Bible: That we are to be harmonious and united - of one mind in Christ. That there is a consequence for disunity. In fact if today you are not sure yet of your own faith in Christ, please do not feel pressure to take part. But for the rest, let us do so examining ourselves carefully. Let us take a moment to pray.
<Pause for a few moments>
Let us prepare the elements. Let us pray before we partake of them.
<Prayer>
Earlier in our time together, I mentioned that there are some pains caused by other people that stay with us. They are so deep that they change who we are, and become part of who were are. I would like to point out something, I wish you listen to me.
When Jesus died on the cross, He was buried. On the third day, he rose again, in a resurrected body. It is a new body, a glorified body. And yet, we are told from scriptures that Jesus body bears the marks of his wounds from the cross.
John 20
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
My friends, the pain our Savior endured when He was nailed to the cross even to this day has been so fully integrated into the very nature of Jesus. We did that to Him, you know? Our own sinfulness has done that. And yet, Jesus now and forever, will choose to forgive you and I if only we call upon His name.
My friend, what are you going through today? Are you carrying with you so much pain and difficulties? Know for sure that Jesus understands. There is no pain known to man that he has not gone through. And yet He offers today friendship and forgiveness. Will you accept it?
<Sinner’s prayer>
Thank you.
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