Let's let's turn to Philippians, this great book of the Bible that God has given to us. A book that deals with joy, a book that deals with humility, a book that deals with unity through selflessness. And the more that I've been reading and thinking and pondering this book, the more that it is a Christ centered and Christ exalting book as well. We are in chapter four, as you know, and in our study verse by verse through the book, we are going to look at verses two and three tonight of Philippians chapter four. I want to study this with you, and then I want to lead us in a time of prayer. And I trust that we'll have a fruitful time of praying with one another here in a little bit. I believe that the Wednesday evening time of studying God's word and then praying together is a vital part of the local church. Just such a fruitful, powerful, supernatural powerhouse of the local church. This is where the power resides. We could do all the ministries and activities and programs and things that we could conjure up all the energies and put our efforts together. But if it's not undergirded with and desperately brought before the Lord in prayer for his blessing and for his power and for his conversion and for his sanctification and for him to guard and protect us, it would all be worthless. So we need God's Holy Spirit and we need his power to help us. So let me read Philippians 4, 2 and 3. Then I want to pray. We'll commit this time to the Lord and then we'll study it. Follow with me as I read Philippians 4, verses 2 and 3. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Father, we want to be equipped from your word. Because we believe, God, that you have breathed out these verses. We can have harmony in the local church because we have been bought and redeemed by the blood of Christ. We are not our own. We belong to another. So unity is therefore possible and it is essential for us as children of the risen King. We come begging, Holy Spirit, that you would write your eternal truth. Not only on our minds. We want to learn. But that you would take it with the divine arrows and pierce them far beneath the skin, all the way down to the heart of hearts. God, that you would convict us, Holy Spirit. That you would comfort us. that you would reprove us, that you would remind us of who we are as Christians and how we are to live as children who belong to you. So help us, oh God, help me help all of us to be active students in your word, that we would study it, that we would learn it, that we would apply it, that we would implement it by your enabling grace in Jesus name. Amen. Dear congregation, imagine if you can. Could you possibly imagine a local church where there might be two individuals who couldn't agree on a matter? Could you possibly imagine such a scenario? And consider that these two individuals would refuse to live in harmony with each other. And imagine that they would not initiate reconciliation one with the other, nor would they humble themselves, nor would they be the first to ask for forgiveness. These two individuals in a local church. might refuse to think well of the other person. They assume the worst in the other person and they assume the worst in the motives of the other person. These people are intolerant. They are impatient. They are arrogant and they're self-righteous. Moreover, to add to the matter, Imagine a local church where this situation is going on, but the leadership of the local church isn't taking swift and careful and deliberate action to help the people in disunity with one another as they know that they should have been doing. And all of that raises a question in our minds, where does all this come from? Where, where, where does all the conflict, where does all the disunity, where does all the disharmony come from? What is it that strangles unity among people? Where does division and disharmony and conflict come from? Well, the Bible gives a short answer in James four, verse one. It comes from our own sinful, selfish heart desires. The Bible calls it our heart lusts when I want something so bad and I don't get it. So I fight and quarrel or, or there's many, many other ways that might contribute. Consider, consider gossip or assuming the worst in other people or slander or backbiting or unmet expectations. Or maybe if somebody has the mentality that the church is to serve me. Or biting remarks or impatience or anger or resentment or unforgiveness or pride or selfishness, or even being absent from corporate worship or prayerlessness. These could all contribute to disunity and conflict in a local church. These are all like, like the Trojan horse. These are like the Trojan horse, which destroys from within. Or we could say it's like a disease that eats away and destroys from the inside. To which we're left with this question, what in the world can be done? What can be done? Can anything be done to repair such a situation? Is there hope for restoration? Is there hope for unity? Can harmony possibly come about? How do we as a local church dwell in unity, even here at Christ Fellowship? Maybe just, just some initial thoughts that I want to give you and your outline there. A handful of things for us to remember. Number one, remember who we are. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to remember we're saved by the grace of God. Our identity, we are not our own. Our identity is not bound up in a church and work and finances and our, in our social economic status. Our identity is bound up in Christ. Number two, remember who we belong to. We belong to the living King. We, we belong to the master. Number three, we want to remember where we're going. We're headed for heaven. Number four, remember our main purpose. It's not to be right. It's not to get my way. It's not to be first. It's not to be popular. What is our main purpose? To preach and proclaim the gospel and to see the advancement of the gospel. Number five, we also want to remember how to live, how to live with humility and love. and tolerance of one another and gentleness and patience with one another. And somebody might say, Oh, that just seems so utterly impossible. Could that ever, ever be done to which I want to scream with all of my strength? Yes, it can. Because Romans 15 verse 5 says, now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord, you may with one voice glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is Paul saying? He's saying church at Rome. You can live in harmony. You can live in such a way where you can, with one heart, with one voice, with one mind, glorify God. It's possible. You can do it. We can do it. Unity is a beautiful thing. Unity is a beautiful thing. Harmony is contagious. A healthy church, let it be understood, is not one where there's never a disagreement. That doesn't make a healthy church. A healthy church, though, is one who, you could put it this way, it's where the people handle disagreements and resolve conflict and choose to love and serve one another for the glory of Jesus Christ. That's a healthy church. It's not where there's the absence of conflict, but it's how do they deal with the conflict when it comes. And our text is going to help us tonight. Our text before us as we've been going verse by verse of the book of Philippians, this section is so crucial. It is so helpful. It is so important. It is so relevant for us in our day. Now remember, in Philippians chapter 4 verse 1, I mentioned last week that Paul just lavished terms of affection upon the Philippian church. He called them his beloved. He called them the brethren. He called them those whom he longs to see. He called them his joy. He called them his crown. Later he called them again his beloved. And then he gives them one main command. I want you to stand firm in the Lord. I want you to stand firm. Philippians, you live in a dark society. You live in a pagan culture. You live in a godless environment. But you need to stand firm in the Lord, Philippians. And the way that Paul writes in verses 2-9 is he's going to flesh out what does it mean to stand firm in the Lord. How do I do this? And He's going to give a number of ways that we can stand firm in the Lord. But Paul's been talking about this idea of unity and thinking the same way and having humility all through the book. In fact, look back at chapter 1, verse 27. Paul said, Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you Here's what Paul wants, that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving for the faith of the gospel. Or chapter two in verse two, Paul says, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another is more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. So, so how do we do this? How do we stand firm in one spirit? How do we, with one mind, strive for the faith of the gospel? How do we live united in spirit, intent on one purpose? How do we live in harmony in the Lord? How do we do that? Well, Paul is going to tell us how to stand firm tonight. And I want to talk, first of all, in your outline, you see the first heading as diligently pursuing unity in your church. And in the second heading that we will look at, At the end of our time in closing is to assure your heart in your heavenly position. Let's spend a good bit of time dealing with this first heading that Paul deals with in verses two and three, so practical for us. Beloved, let's diligently pursue unity in the local church. Now in verses two and three, the immediate case concerns a couple of ladies. that just can't get along. That's what's going on. These are two women who can't seem to get along. It's like conflict is the ever present twin with those who are critical and proud and bitter and vengeful and hostile and unforgiving and selfish and angry. Conflict is soon to erupt. John MacArthur says it so well, even if a church has great doctrine, disunity robs a church of its power and it destroys its testimony. He's right. Now, I know and I understand that there might be some people that just say things that just might annoy you. I understand. And maybe there are some people that do things that just sort of like get under your skin. Or maybe there are some people that might not treat you the way that you think that you deserve to be treated. Or maybe there are people in the church that have a different habit of life or different opinions or different preferences than you want to matter. Maybe there are some people that structure their family, perhaps a little bit differently than you, or maybe some, someone has unintentionally said something in an offensive tone that kind of hurts you. Or maybe somebody. might not be as passionate about something as you might be. How do we respond in times like this? How do we, how do we diligently preserve unity in our local church in situations like this? Well, here's the situation. Verse two, you see it right here. I urge you odia. And I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord." It's kind of rare for Paul to call people out by name. Now, we don't know exactly what the disagreement was. It wasn't doctrinal or Paul would have clearly spelled it out and given the truth. He doesn't do that. It's a preference. It's an opinion issue. It's, it's not all that important in the eternal grand scheme of things. But James four verse one comes into play. Where do quarrels and fights come from, but our own pleasures and our own desires that wage war in our members. See the problem with Uodia and Syntyche, the problem when conflict comes is this. It's when personal preference and personal opinion becomes God's law and it becomes God's standard. It's when personal preference and personal opinion becomes law and it becomes standard. And then when we're not tolerant of the differences in others, which is the root of pride, Or the root is pride there. Well, then conflict is bound to erupt. Well, then disharmony is sure to occur. Then unity is sure to break. That's why the apostle Paul says in Ephesians four in verse three, that we are to be showing tolerance to one another, showing tolerance for each other's differences. So what does Paul do? You've got two ladies that can't get along. What does he do in verse two? Paul says, I urge you Odea and I urge Syntyche. And we've got to talk about the word urge. What does this Greek word urge mean? It means to beg. It means to appeal. It means to plead. It means to exhort. Paul uses it two times for repetition and for emphasis. In other words, he's earnest, he's urgent, and he's not taking sides. I urge euodia, and I also want you to know I urge syntyche. Paul is kind of like painting a picture. I'm talking eyeball to eyeball and urging euodia, and I'm talking eyeball to eyeball and urging syntyche. I'm not taking sides. I'm urging. It's like a father who is lavishing love, verbally affirming his son before he gives him a very important charge. That's what Paul's been doing in these verses. He's been affirming his love for the congregation. And now he's going to give an urgent and a pastoral plea to them. He doesn't take sides, but he appeals to them both as if we were talking to each separately face to face. And he says, I urge you, Odia, and I urge Syntyche to do what? Verse two, to live in harmony in the Lord. Now, when you're in the midst of conflict, that might seem like an impossible thing to do. Paul says it's possible. And Paul says it's essential. Now, the new American standard has live in harmony. If we were to read our Greek Bibles, here's what it means to think the same way. What Paul, you're telling us to think the same way. What do you mean? Think the same way. Yeah. Paul means it's a shared mindset. It's a, it's a way of thinking. It's a worldview. It's it's the aim, the disposition. It's like the way that you think that governs your behavior. And Paul says, I want you to be thinking the same way. Well, that seems a little bit odd to think the same way. Well, if you think of a church in the New Testament that was full of conflict and full of problems, 1 Corinthians comes to mind. The beginning of that letter, the apostle Paul says, we are to agree and we are to have no divisions among you, but you are to be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. First Corinthians one 10 or, or first Peter three, eight, we are to all be harmonious. Peter says sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit. Or Ephesians 4 and verse 3, we are to be diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. Or what we read earlier, Psalm 133, how good and how pleasant it is. How good, this is a good, this is a sweet thing to dwell in unity, to have harmony, to have the camaraderie among the people of God. This is a good thing. Well, question. How, Paul, do we live in harmony? Let's see if we can do a little bit of comparing of scriptures for an answer. Philippians 2.2 says this, we are to be of the same mind. Maintaining the same love united in spirit intent on one purpose. Well, how do we do that? Paul says in Philippians three and verse 15, that we are to have a mature attitude. We are to have a mature attitude and we are according to, according to Philippians chapter three. And verse 19, we should not have our minds on earthly things, but have our minds on heavenly things. Well, how do we do that? Colossians 3.14, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Every day, like you put on clothes, put on love, which is the perfect glue. It's the bond. It's the safeguard for unity. Now, when Paul says we are to live in harmony, it's not just what you say, and it's not just the behavior that we act out, but it's how we think about one another. This goes deep. It's far more than just being in the same building with people. It's thinking in a way that is loving toward one another. And here's the key phrase, verse 2. live in harmony in the Lord. Philippians 4 and verse 2 gives the key. How do we think the same way? By living in harmony in the Lord. This is so crucial because in the Lord, we can find strength to kill bitterness. In the Lord, we can forgive and choose not to hold past offenses against a person. In the Lord, we can overlook differences of preference and opinion and we can co-labor for the cause of the gospel. In the Lord, we can rebuild trust and we can move on for the glory of God. In the Lord, we can express practical concern and pray for each other. In the Lord, we can commit to loving and serving and rejoicing in those that are different than us. That's the key phrase, in the Lord. When we're not thinking in the Lord, when we're not focused on the Lord, but when our mind is on worldly things and we're not living in love, but we're living in self love. Well, then we're not going to be thinking the same way and we're not going to be living in harmony. But then Paul does something in verse three that's quite amazing. Because notice what he does in verse three. Indeed, true companion, I ask you to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of Christ. So bad is the situation that Paul evidently calls for a companion, a fellow laborer. It's probably an elder, probably the pastor. to join in and help these women. Here's the beautiful, beautiful reality of biblical counseling and mutual assistance and living in togetherness in the body of Christ. We need help, and it is an essential part of inter-Christian relationships that we would come alongside of one another in need. What I find to be a little bit amazing in my study, these are not visitors. These ladies are not peripheral attenders. These are clearly ladies who have worked with Paul shoulder to shoulder for the cause of the gospel. These are like missionaries. These are like co-laborers. They have labored. They have striven together with Paul for the advancement of the gospel. And Paul does something amazing. Our English doesn't bring it out. But in the Greek, there's a word in the Greek that means together with, together with. Paul takes that Greek word and he glues it to the front of four different words in this verse. I mean, Paul, Paul is going above and beyond to show with, together with, together with, together with four different times. It's as if he's driving home the point. Philippians, we're all in this together. We are with one another in this. We are a team. We are a unit. We are a force together. Well, like many might say in our modern day, I don't like confrontation. That's not for me. I don't do that. I don't go there. I don't get involved in other people's business. But that doesn't work in the body of Christ. It doesn't work. Some people might say, that was just the women's problem. That's not my problem. I don't want to get involved. I don't want to be nosy. I don't want to get involved in their business. But Paul says, no, you need to help them. Come alongside of them. And these women helped him in the cause of the gospel. Notice verse three, together with a man named Clement and also the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Here's what I learned from this. Even though we don't know who Clement is, and we don't know who all the fellow workers are, and we don't know that much about Uodea and Syneche. But here's what I learned, that there are even times that godly, and there are times that mature and faithful and committed Christians can sometimes become so selfish in a matter that we can be caught up in controversy if we're not diligent to maintain unity. It's possible for us. It's possible for all of us. Because here are ladies who have worked and they have labored for the cause of the gospel with Paul. And Paul says, I love these women and I want them to live in harmony. And I want the church to live in harmony. Paul is diligent to urge them to pursue this. Okay. So some practical advice, what do we do from this? You say, Jeff, that's a wonderful thing. I don't disagree with this. We ought to diligently pursue unity in our church. But how? As I was reflecting and pondering, seeking to apply this, you have in your outline, number one, we need to guard our thinking. We need to think what's best. We need to give people the benefit of the doubt. Because the way that we talk and the way that we react and the way that we respond, is all a result of what we're thinking, is all a result of what we're thinking. So we want to guard our thinking, be transformed in our minds. Number two, we want to choose to love. Notice the wording, choose to love. Here's what that means. Don't let emotions lead you to react selfishly or to react foolishly or to respond bitterly. but choose to love. Third, have the conversation. And if this is needed, have the conversation. Just sit down with that person and open up the word and pray and say, let's just talk together. Look, will you forgive me? Will you forgive me for my sinful attitude? That's a good conversation to have. Number four, prioritize the gospel. Is this matter that I'm getting worked up about? Is it a preference? Is it an opinion? Is it just kind of a personal desire? Then I need to, for the well-being of the flock, push that aside for a moment and co-labor for the advancement of the gospel. Remember the priority. It's not about me getting my way. It's about the gospel going forth. And then a fifth way that we can preserve unity is to stay in fellowship. not to stand aloof. It's easy to isolate oneself when there's a conflict and say, I don't like that person or I don't like them or I don't like that group. And I'm just not going to go resist the pity party mentality. Beloved division and disunity is the playground of the devil. And so we want to pursue unity with our eyes upon Christ. and our focus upon the gospel. And it's possible. We can do it. It's possible. And Paul is urgent and emphatic about it here in the Philippian church and for us as well here at Christ Fellowship. So, so we are to stand firm in the Lord. And the first thing that Paul brings out to the believers is to diligently pursue unity because it's needed, not just for the Philippians, but even for us. Very quickly, let me just end with the second heading for us. Number two in your outline, assure your heart in your heavenly position. Paul ends verse three with a remarkable phrase. And if you're a Christian, this is a phrase that also applies to you. Paul says, these are my coworkers. Well, who are they? Whose names are in the book of life? What an encouragement. Paul doesn't just hit him in the head with a sledgehammer and say, you are causing disruption of the church. No, no, no. He reminds them your name is in the book of life. You're you're a citizen of heaven. And this would have all the more significance because Philippi. As a Roman colony took pride in their register. We are Roman citizens that our name is on this register in Philippi. We are Roman citizens that Paul reminds him and says, there's a, there's a better book. There's a, there's a better registry where your name is. It's far beyond Roman citizenship. It's a heavenly citizenship. All those whose names are inscribed in the book of life have been inscribed there in the blood of the lamb, and there's no eraser to take their names out. Paul gives such encouragement to remind the people Their names are in the book of life. Remember, remember where you're headed. Remember who you belong to. Remember what you're fighting for. Remember the cause of the gospel. Remember that your way of life transcends the things that you can see and feel and touch here. We want to stand firm with unified and thankful hearts fixed upon heaven. Maybe to draw this to a close and prepare us for prayer, I do think, beloved, it's possible for us. It is possible. I want to say that again, as someone who is a child of God, Philippians two, one to four makes it clear. Verse one is the position that we are in Christ. We can fulfill this. So we can overcome jealousy and cultural differences and personal preferences and differences of opinion and personal expectations and bitterness and comparison and disconsentment. How do we do that? With a greater God honoring resolve that I want to preserve unity in Christ's church, because we can't strive too hard. I don't believe we can't strive too hard for unity in our church. We have a sly enemy. We have a very deceitful heart and the reputation of the gospel and the glory of Christ and the glory of God is worth it. So let's be diligent by the grace of God and with the guidance of the word to preserve unity together here at the church. Amen. Amen. Father, thank you for this word in Philippians chapter four. It is convicting, O Lord, because we are sinful. We still battle the flesh and we want to honor and serve and follow you. But Lord, so often we fall short. So God, we ask for your forgiveness. And we ask for your grace and we ask for your power that as we would desperately and humbly and specifically call out to you in prayer, that you would preserve unity here, that, that you would help us to be diligent, to promote unity. Oh God, that we would, that we would cut off disunity and those heart attitudes from the very inception. Thank you. Thank you, O God, that you are a God of unity and that you have brought us into unity with yourself. May we now live in unity with one another for the glory of Christ. In Jesus' name, amen.