The Peace of God in our Personal Relationships
Philippians 4:1-7

Worry and peace are real emotions. A lot of people experience worry and not too many experience peace. How can you have more peace and less worry?
Worry causes headaches, neck pains, ulcers, back pains, and conflicts in our relationships. Our English word worry comes from the old English word “to strangle.” Isn’t that something? The root word for worry is to choke or strangle! Worry is assuming responsibility God never intended me to have. It is trying to control the uncontrollable. Worry is a warning light that you are not resting in the Lord.
In a research on worry, 40% of our worries never happen. 30% concern the past and you can’t do anything about them. 12% are needless worries about our health. 10% are about insignificant or petty issues. 8% are legitimate concerns.
Worry is worthless. It cannot change the past, it cannot solve the problems for tomorrow, it just makes the problem bigger right now. Now, if I just told you DON”T Worry about it, you would be tempted to say, “I can’t help it.”
The antidote to worry is peace. How can you experience the peace of God? Can you really stop your worrying? Can you experience real peace in your soul?
God can give you real peace to overcome your worry. Philippians 4:7, And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The peace of God is real because the God of peace is alive. The peace of God is real because the Holy Ghost of God is real, “For the kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom.14:17). The peace of God is real because …
? the forgiveness of sin though our Lord Jesus Christ is real. ? The call of God to come to him and find rest for our souls is real. ? His Word is true for He says, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
The peace of God is real as Paul compares God’s peace as the “Soldier of our soul” guarding our hearts and minds in Christ. Yes, the God of peace is the GENERAL and COMMANDER in CHIEF of our lives, guarding our hearts and our minds. Our hearts and minds speak of the deepest aspect of our inner being.
Our heart, the Personality Center: The heart is the center of your personality from which your affections flow. Because it pumps the life principle throughout our body, the heart stands for the center of man’s mental, emotional, and volitional activity. The heart is a big subject, for it deals with the desires, the affections, the perceptions, the thoughts, imaginations, intentions, and purposes. The Lord Jesus said “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies…(Matt.15:19). Sin as a principle has its seat in the center of a man’s inward life, and then defiles the whole circuit of his action. The heart speaks of the hidden springs of the personal life. the mind is the center of your perception; your reflective consciousness, the motives, the plans and purposes.
Our mind, the Battleground Center: The mind of man is the battleground for our heart. The devil, “the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” Paul was also very concerned that as the “serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” So we see that man’s minds can be blinded and even Christians may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. If the Devil can get a foothold or establish a stronghold in the thoughts of a man, he can disrupt the HEART, the emotions, volition, and intellect. The mind speaks of our devices and thoughts that we must bring into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
The God of peace stands as Commander over our hearts, the “Personality center,” and our minds, the “Battleground center.” People can take away everything from you, but no one can tell you what to think, and they cannot take away your heart to love, worship, and serve God.
To have his peace we must be in a right relationship to Him, we must understand our relationship to Him, and we must understand our relationship with others who call on the name of the Lord.
In this section, Paul emphasizes for us our position in Christ. We are in the Lord. (Read Philippians 3:9) This phrase “in the Lord” appears (v.1,2,4) three times, and then in verse seven, the Lord is identified as Christ Jesus. This is a very powerful argument for the deity of Jesus Christ. He is Lord! (Phil.1:2, 2:11; 3:8, 3:20). Have you truly repented of your sin and believed in the Lord? Can you be found IN HIM this morning? What a vital, living union we have. He is the vine, and we are the branch, and we abide IN HIM.
If you want to experience the peace of God guarding your heart and mind, FIRST you must be found IN HIM. You must come to the place where you realize you are a sinner, outside of Him. Without Christ you are lost and IN SIN, but you can be FOUND IN HIM!
In this paragraph, Paul deals with a big reason why people lose the peace of God: personal conflicts with others. To have God’s peace we must relate with other people. If your relationships are full of conflict, strife, discord, arguments, hostility, bitterness, you will not have peace. This relates to your marriage. If you are constantly bickering and in conflict with your spouse, listen up! Arguing with your parents, brothers, sister, or people on your job, you will not have the joy of the Lord.
People are picky and finicky; fickle and fleeting; hot and cold, sweet and bitter; loving and hating. Many people think worry is a way of life, but guess what? You don’t have to worry!
Phil. 4:6, Be careful for nothing! Don’t worry about anything! That is not a suggestion, it is a command.
And the peace of God! Yes, you don’t have to worry and you can have the peace of God guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.
God has a way to guard our heart. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
In a few months, “Stressmas is coming.” Your heavenly sandpaper will be coming over for dinner. That is your mother in law! The month of brotherly shove is coming.
How can we experience the peace of God that passes all understanding in our personal relationships? We need to understand six things and follow the commands of our Commander. Now, I know we naturally do not like to be told what to do, but we have to remember that we have a LORD Jesus Christ and we are IN HIM. He tells us what to do and we must seek to obey him completely and immediately. He is good, and He loves us, and what He commands is for our good and His glory.
1. We are in the Same Army,
Command from our commander: So Stand Fast in the Lord! v.1
Stand fast in the Lord! Notice our position when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. We are IN CHRIST. He does not say, Stand fast IN THE CHURCH. No, we are in the Lord, Phil. 3:9.
What a paradox the Christian life is! We are accountants that have counted all things loss but the excellency of Christ. We are athletes that are striving with all our being for the finish line. We are ambassadors awaiting the coming of our King who will give us a glorified, resurrection body! We are armed soldiers, standing fast for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he says STAND FAST in the Lord. While we press forward, we are to stand fast. We are like soldiers in an army that hold our ground. We are not of those who retreat even when the enemy attempts a blistering attack and assault upon our faith. We are not to retreat when those who stood with us RUN AWAY! One of the key ways to let God’s peace guard your mind is to stand fast in Him.
Paul begins this chapter with a “therefore.” That therefore goes back to what he just said. Because you are a citizen of heaven, and God is your Father, Christ is your Saviour, Christians are your companions, the Holy Spirit is your Comforter, and Scripture is your constitution and roadmap through life, stand fast! Stand and keep on standing, dearly beloved in the Lord.
Paul tenderly commands them, calling them A. His Brethren, brothers. B. His beloved C. His Longed for, he longed to see them. Paul truly loved people. D. His joy E. His crown, His Olympic gold medal
People are looking today for healthy “self-esteem, self-acceptance, and a great self-image.” They are looking for the wrong thing. We do not need a healthy self-image; we need the peace of God. We need to have a right view of God, and we need to love God and know we are loved by him! You need to know what you are IN HIM. You will never have a right image of yourself until you see yourself standing fast in the LORD, dearly beloved, and the joy and crown of others who love the Lord.
People are more precious and valuable than prizes. People in themselves are prizes. Paul exhorts them to keep on standing. Can you get tired standing? Sure you can. But keep on standing IN THE LORD. He will give you the strength to keep on standing. What a word of encouragement to people who had worries. You must focus on the fact that you must stand, and the Lord will give you strength to do it. You are brethren, beloved, longed for, joy and a crown! Do you want to win over worry? Then stand fast IN THE LORD. Stand fast in your obedience. Stand fast in the doctrines of truth. Do not go back into the world, into sin
1 Cor. 16:13, Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit (Act like a man) you like men, be strong.
Gal.5:1, Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Standing is for adults in the faith. Little children cannot stand up for long. They get tired.
2. We have the SAME MIND,
Command from our Commander: Maintain the Mind of Christ, v.2
Phil. 2:5 contains this command, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
The mind of Christ is the mind of a PEACEMAKER. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The mind of Christ is a mind of humility and patience. The mind of Christ is humble, loving, forgiving, patient, and sacrificially bears the cross and waits for the day of exaltation.
So what was happening here? Paul deals with principles first, people second. He deals with the principles of humility in Philippians 2 without mentioning any of the particular individuals. Now he deals with a very specific issue in the Philippian church.
Paul mentions two ladies who were engaged in some sort of conflict. I know this is hard for us to imagine, two women quarreling, but it happened (JUST) once long ago! Here we see two women devoted to the Lord Jesus in disagreement. That can happen to, just once every generation or so! Can two people who love the Lord engage in conflict? Allow bitterness to fester? Argue and fight? Yes, and when that happens, the peace of God will be lost.
Paul does not take sides, and he does not micromanage the problem. He simply tells them to be of the same mind of Christ! The fact is we often get into interpersonal conflict when we expect others to be perfect. That is why Paul wrote that God is still working on us (Phil. 1:6) and we are not yet in an absolutely perfect condition (Phil. 3:12-15).
Euodias means “prosperous journey” and Syntyche means “pleasant acquaintance.” Maybe Euodias was a goal oriented doer. Syntyche was a friendly people person.
Maybe these two ladies had different personalities that clashed. Sometimes two very nice people can still clash. How do you get along with someone very different than you? Realize that all of us are different; backgrounds, cultures, education, hobbies, jobs, things we like and dislike. Good people often have different standards and we sometimes speak careless words. We must appreciate the differences. We can respect one another’s view point when others disagree with us. We must put on the “same mind IN THE LORD.” Notice that phrase “in the Lord.” The same mind of Christ is to be in people who are yet different. The same mind of Christ is humble, loving and forgiving. The mind of Christ:
? Voluntarily empties himself
? Bravely endures cross bearing
? Patiently waits for exaltation
It is always the effort of our enemy, the slanderer, to hinder the people of God from being united. The Devil would love to bring the confusion of division into our church so that when visitors come here they would sense disunity and discord; selfish ambition and selfish competition.
3. We Believe the SAME GOSPEL, So, Help one another, v.3a
We have all believed in the same gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are fellowshipping in the same Gospel (1:5), we bring forth fruit of the Gospel (1:11), we seek the futherance of the gospel (1:12), and strive together for the faith of the gospel. The Gospel speaks of Good News, of Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. Everything we do we do for the sake of the Gospel, so HELP ONE ANOTHER.
Now, notice this verse, that there were some women in the church of Philippi that really were working hard. Paul says, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel. The word used to describe the work of these women is “sunathleo” the root word of our word, athlete. They were like spiritual athletes. These women were striving as athletes for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Assist them in the Gospel. Assist Clement also, who was a man and the other “fellowlabourers” which also speaks of men. The point is that men and women must work together in the Gospel. Men ought not be willing to let the women do all the work! It is very obvious from Scripture that women had a prominent role in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and the local church.
Times have not changed very much! We have women in our church who are working hard for God, in the choir, the homeless, the finances, tract distribution, prayer requests, and many other things. Listen, you do not have to PREACH from behind a pulpit to serve God in great ways. We need some men in our church to help the women! Help the women in the homeless ministry! Help the women in CHILDREN’S CHURCH!
4. We are in the SAME BOOK, So, REJOICE in the LORD, v.3b,4
Yes, there is a book in heaven called the book of life. This book has a record of everyone who is saved. He says, REJOICE IN THE LORD, not sometimes, or on FRIDAYS, but always. Then he emphasizes what he already said. Rejoice on payday, and on tax day. Rejoice when your team wins or loses. Rejoice whether you are single or married; rich or poor.
Rev.20:15, And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
? Rejoice in your eternal salvation! Yes, there is a book of life. Luke 10:20, Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Yes, rejoice in the eternal things, first of all the LORD, who is the eternal God. Rejoice in your eternal salvation!
We will rejoice when we know that we have a salvation that is settled and sure for all eternity. The Ethiopian eunuch “went on his way rejoicing” because he knew that eternal life was now his gift!
? Rejoice in your love for the Lord! John 14:28, If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
? Rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord! John 16:22, I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. When the disicples believed that Jesus was risen from the dead, they will have a joy that no one could take away.
Acts 13:48, And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
What petty problems are you allowing to get in the way of what is really important?
5. We have the SAME HOPE, So, Sustain a Gentle Strength, v.5
Yes, do you believe the Lord is near? That is, He is near us for He is omnipresent. The Lord is near all those in a special way when we call upon Him. He is near those also who gather to corporately worship Him, for there is a sense of us being a body of Christ, and He dwells in this body of believers. He inhabiteth the praise of His people. It is also likely that this refers to the coming of Christ. Do you believe He is coming soon? Are you awaiting His coming? Is He not omnipresent?
Moderation: Sweet reasonableness. “The word signifies a humble, patient stedfastness, which is able to submit to injustice, disgrace, and maltreatment without hatred and malice, trusting in God in spite of all of it.” Moderation means gracious forbearance, gentleness, courtesy. It is graciousness with strength and poise of character. It is the opposite of obstinacy. The word is not negative restraint simply but positive giving up the the reasonable desires of others. It is the mildness of disposition that leads one to be fair and to go beyond the letter of the law. This is the grace of giving up to the weaker.
6. We have Access to the SAME PRAYER-ANSWERING GOD,
So, Pray with a Thankful Heart
If a problem is big enough to worry about it is big enough to pray about. The antidote to worry is prayer with a thankful heart. Be careful for nothing, do not let harassing worries strangle you.
Cast all your care upon Him for he careth for you. That is, throw the entire weight of your worries on the Lord, because He cares for you.
There was a study done that said people who attend church every week live 5.7 years longer than the person who doesn’t. You are extending your life right now! Do you know why that is? Because people who go to church pray about things.
There was a little boy who always prayed at dinner, “Dear Lord Jesus, please protect the fence in the back yard.” Well, a visitor came over for dinner one night, and the little boy prayed, “Dear Jesus, please protect the fence in the back yard.” The guest laughed, and thought, OH, isn’t that cute! The father said, “Oh, you don’t understand. Our neighbor on the other side of that fence, has the biggest, meanest dog you could ever imagine, so every day, my little four year old prays, “Dear Lord, protect the fence in the backyard.”
Do you think God is interested in the fences of your life? What fences are you worrying about today? Worries in your finances. Your future. Your relationships.
Studies have also demonstrated that an attitude of gratitude is a physical benefit to your body, you will have less head-aches, less worries, and you will be less susceptible to stress related illnesses.
Prayer: Prayer in general. Supplication: Prominent sense of need. Requests: Specific, definite petition. Thanksgiving: Recalling God’s goodness and mercy.
One never enjoys life until we learn to see and say something positive about everything.
? We are in the SAME ARMY, stand fast in the Lord
? We have the SAME MIND, Put on the mind of Christ
? We believe in the SAME GOSPEL, Help one another
? We are written in the SAME BOOK, Rejoice in the Lord
We have the SAME HOPE, So Sustain a Gentle Strength
We have Access to the SAME PRAYER-ANSWERING GOD, So Pray with a Thankful Heart