Rejoicing In Peace | Pastor Cody Harlow September 14th, 2025- Philippians 4:1-9

And so with that in mind, if you're able to stand in honor of God's word, please stand as we read Philippians chapter 4:es 1-9. God's word, it says this. Therefore, my brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. I entreat Yodia and I entreat Cinti to agree in

The Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women who have labored side by side with me in the Gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. But do not be anxious about anything. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. Let's pray. And so Lord, we do surrender ourselves to you this morning and we do ask that you would speak very clearly to us. I ask Lord that you would guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Father, I do want to lift up to you just our nation right now as Lord, we think about the senseless tragedies in Colorado and Lord, we hear about terrible things happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan and Poland. There's just so many terrible terrible things that are happening on massive scales. And Lord, in a world that's so uncertain, we thank you for the certainty of our salvation that's in Christ. We ask that you would help each one of us as your people to walk in your way and to live out the Gospel and to share the Gospel with a world that desperately needs to know about the saving message of Jesus. Lord, I pray that u pray that you would move. I pray that you would prompt our hearts, Lord. And if there's anyone here that doesn't

Know that true and that lasting salvation, I pray today would be that day. That they're born again by your spirit, that you'll breathe in to them the breath of life that I received so many years ago. And father, I pray that they would walk faithfully before you all the days of their lives. Father, we love you. We surrender ourselves to you and we thank you for what you're doing in our lives in Jesus name. Amen. Well, Paul, he begins our passage today by saying, "Therefore, my brothers whom I long love and long for my joy in crowns. Stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved." And the word is clear. Stand firm in the Lord. This is a military term. It means to hold your ground, to refuse to retreat, to plant your feet, and to not be moved. And the Romans, what they would do is they would take their shields. They would lock them together and they would form what's called a failance and they would they would just stand firm with soldiers behind them reinforcing them because if one soldier fell, the whole line would fall. And in the same way, if a Christian waivers, it affects other brothers and sisters in the church. Listen to me, church. Okay? You're not an independent Christian. Okay, you've been reconciled into the body of Christ. And when one member suffers, we all suffer. You ever had a sore toe? I mean, you know, it doesn't affect your back, but you feel it, don't you? In the same way, when one member of the body is suffering or struggling or hurting, it affects the whole body. But notice Paul, he doesn't say stand firm in your politics or stand firm in your own strength. He says stand firm in the Lord. You see, the only way that you can endure, the only way that you can stand solidly is if you are firmly rooted in Christ's finished work. And I

Pray that you are. Listen to what Paul wrote earlier in the book of Philippians. He said, "Not that I have already obtained this or I'm already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus because Christ Jesus has made me his own." The only reason why he can tell us to stand firm. The only reason why he could tell us to press on is because Jesus had taken a hold of him. And we stand firm not in our own strength but because Christ stood firm in obedience even unto death for us. And while Christ he was in Gethsemane he was sorrowful even to death. He prayed three times. Father if possible let this cup from me. But he continued to endure. He said, "Nevertheless, not my will, not what I want, not what I desire, but your will, O Lord, be done." Think of Jesus before Pilate. He could have called down 12 legions of angels to save him. But he endured, silent as a lamb to the slaughter. Think of him on the cross. The crowd mocked him and said, "If you are the son of God, come down." But he stood firm in loving, faithful obedience to the father's plan. He refused to come down so that we could be saved. On the cross, he bore the wrath that our sins deserved so that you and I, we could stand forgiven and secure before God. Because he stood faithfully and because he was obedience to God, obedient to God's plan, our standing in him remains forever secure. Have you ever seen a lighthouse on the shore in a storm? Like we think of pictures like this, right? I mean, storms raging, wiping out entire villages along the eastern seabboard. But you know what doesn't collapse is the lighthouse. Do you know why lighouses aren't prone to collapsing? It's because they're firmly built on the rock. That's what it means to stand firm in

The Lord. See, your circumstances may come at you in waves. The stormy culture might rage. The headlines might terrify with its thunder. The news may be dark. But if you are rooted in Christ, our rock of ages, then you will not be shaken. And so, church, do not give an inch. Don't let the assassination of a brother in Christ make you think that God has lost control. Don't let the violence in our streets or in our schools make you think that evil is going to somehow defeat the Gospel. Don't let the uncertainties of tomorrow paralyze you with fear today. Stand firm in the Lord God. Your salvation is secure because of Christ. Secondly, live in unity as citizens of heaven. That's what he says, Paul. He moves from standing firm in Christ to living in unity with each other. He says, "I entreat." That means like he's he's pleading. He's begging. I entreat Yodia and Cintay to agree in the Lord. Yes. I ask you also, true companion, help these women who have labored side by side with me in the Gospel whose names are in the book of life. It's fascinating, isn't it, that Paul, he calls out these two women by name in a public letter that's going to be read in front of the entire church. You imagine hearing your name in a paragraph like that, what would your response be? Remember that Paul, he's not shaming them here. That's not his goal. He's shephering them. He doesn't call these two women troublemakers. These women are not fringe members. Verse three says they labored side by side with Paul in the Gospel. They were faithful servants of Jesus. They had fallen into opposition with each other. Whether that was through the loss of some type of relationship or a misunderstanding. The details aren't given. And that's probably because the details are not the point. The point is

That their disunityity threatened the witness of the church in Philippi. And so you should know this that Christ, he reconciled us to God by bearing our sin. And it's only then that we can be reconciled with each other. You see, if we pursue Christ and we're pursuing Christ together, our hearts are going to be united as one. Our unity is not us just trying harder to get along. That's not what unity is. Christian unity is the result of his sacrifice breaking down the wall between sinner and God to where now we can be reconciled authentically and genuinely. And I want you to note these four things here about unity. Firstly, unity is not optional. Paul, he commands them to agree in the Lord. That's command. It doesn't mean uniformity on every issue but harmony in Christ. Our unity is not built on personality. Our politics or our preferences. It's built on Jesus Christ. It's built on him crucified dead buried and resurrected. That's where we find our unity. The unity requires the whole church. Paul, he calls on a true companion. This could have been Apaproditis. This could have been another local elder there in Philippi to help them to reconcile. And this reconciliation is not meddling. It's shephering. Sometimes unity it requires outside help. Unity also has eternal weight. Look at what he says here. He says that your names are written in the book of life. In other words, sisters, don't forget you're going to be worshiping the Lord with this person for all of eternity. You're going to be around the throne of God, and you're not going to look over and go, "Can't believe that they're here." You see, if you're going to sing together in glory, you need to walk together in grace right now. >> Unity does not grieve the Holy Spirit, but

Disunityity does. Charles Spurgeon, he says the Holy Spirit is like a dove. Doves, they love quiet places. They don't want to be in a place that's full of a lot of noise and strife. And so for us as Christians, love should reign. Peace should be predominant in our lives. And when Christians fight, it quenches the spirit's work among us. So let's not grieve the spirit of God, but reconcile ourselves with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Think of it this way. In an orchestra, if the violin and the cello, they're fighting for the melody, the music is going to collapse into chaos. But when each section is playing its part under the conductor's hand, the result becomes harmony and beauty. You see, the church is Christ's orchestra. He's the conductor. And unity comes when we follow his lead together. And so, let's not underestimate the damage that may be caused by unresolved conflict. A sharp word, a grudge, cold shoulder, an ignored need, it can fracture the body of Christ. But also, don't underestimate the power, the power of reconciliation, when you forgive or you sincerely apologize. When you seek peace and you step into conflict to restore, to display the beauty of the Gospel, Christ, he reconciled us to God and to one another at the cross. Look at what he says in Ephesians 2. It says that he himself, Jesus himself, is our peace who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two. So making peace and he might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross thereby killing the hostility. You see, as citizens of heaven, we live that reconciliation out here on earth when we pursue each other.

We walk as citizens of the heavenly kingdom. The third thing here is that we are to rejoice and be gentle, to be reasonable. Paul, he doesn't just stop at standing firm and seeking unity. He says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Again, I will say, "Rejoice." It's the first verse I ever preached. That word always is really really difficult, isn't it? Paul doesn't say rejoice when things go well or rejoice when the economy strong or rejoice when your candidate wins. He says always. And remember Paul, he's not he's not writing this from a coffee shop sipping on a pumpkin spice latte. He's in chains. He's in prison. He doesn't know whether or not the judgment's going to come for him to live or to die. And yet he rejoices. Why? Because his joy is not dictated by his circumstances. It is anchored in Christ. And that's the difference between what the world knows is joy and true Christian joy. Christian joy is not some type of spontaneous emotion that we just suddenly feel. It is a response of faith. It comes when you are looking at the unfolding drama of God's salvation. And you look at even in suffering, you say, "God is still good. Christ is still Lord." Think back to Paul and Silas in Acts 16 who were brutally beaten, unfairly tossed in prison, shackled with their feet. And what are they doing at midnight? They're singing hymns and praise to God. Why? Because Christ was still theirs. You can't chain the Gospel. You can't kill the Gospel. Paul, he then says in verse 5, "Let your reasonleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand." This reasonleness is sometimes translated as gentleness. That might be what your translation says. And that's a good translation. But that reasonleness is

About being gracious in your spirit. It's about reflecting the humble mind of Christ that we studied back in Philippians 2. It doesn't mean weakness. It means strength under control like a horse with a bridal in its mouth. It's power being maintained. And for you and I, it means responding with grace even when our enemies might curse us. And notice that this reasonleness is to be known to everyone. To everyone. Not just those who treat us well. Not just the pastor when he comes up and shakes your hand on Sunday morning. Not just those who share our beliefs. But rather, it's also seen by those who oppose the Gospel. You see, in a world that shouts and insults and mocks and rages against God, citizens of the heavenly kingdom are to be marked by joy and by reason. In 1555, Hugh Ladmer and Nicholas Ridley, they were burned at the stake for preaching the Gospel in England. And as the flames were surrounding them and their flesh began to be lit on fire, Latimer, he cried out, "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace in England as I trust shall never be put out." You see, the joy and reasonableness in the face of horror. They could rejoice in the flames because Christ had already borne the greater punishment for them. And we can by God's grace play the man when we trust firmly in the Lord Christ. Christian, does the world see you as joyful and reasonable? Do your children see you as joyful in Christ? Not just stressed or hurried. Do your neighbors see you in the way that you reason, even when you disagree? Do your co-workers see joy when you're under pressure? Joy and reason are not private things. They are public witnesses. Why? Because Paul says, "The Lord is at hand. Christ

Is near to us by his spirit, by the Holy Spirit of God, and his return is imminent for us." That means that we don't have to cling to our rights and fight for our reputation or to win every argument. The judge is coming and we just have to be faithful to Christ in the midst of it. And we can rejoice and we can be gentle because he will set all things right. Fourthly, we learn here to pray instead of worry. Paul, he continues,"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Notice the contrast here. There's anxiety and there's prayer. Anxiety is trying to carry tomorrow's load with today's strength. Jesus, he said this. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for today is its own trouble. See, prayer is giving that load to God. Paul, he says, don't be anxious about anything. Not finances, not health, not politics, not violence, not the safety of your children. Don't be anxious about those things. Nothing outside the scope of this command. Instead, in everything, let your requests be made known to God. Anxiety is a natural thing for humans to do, isn't it? It's natural for us to worry. I've got a wonderful mother-in-law that is a worry wart about everything, right? She that it's not her spiritual gift, but it's up there. I say that tongue and cheek because worry is a natural thing, but prayer is a supernatural thing. You see, anxiety, it reveals where we've misplaced our citizenship and it shows and reveals what we're trusting in. It shows that we're acting like this world is our home. But prayer, it puts

Our hearts in a place where it recognizes that God is sovereign and he's able to give us exactly what we need when we need it. Charles Spurgeon, he once compared anxiety to breathing on a telescope. And so you fog up the lens with a hot breath of anxiety. And then you complain when you can't see the stars of faith. And what prayer does is it wipes away the fog. It makes the lens clean so that you can see the promises of God clearly. Again, notice that Paul, he doesn't just say pray. He says pray with what? Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is what transforms our requests into worship. I thank you, Lord, because your word says that I can take all these burdens to you and that you will take them and you will make my load light. Lord, I thank you for making my load light. That's what thanksgiving does. So, you say, I don't just bring my burdens, Lord. I thank you for who you are and for what you've already done. I thank you that I'm already redeemed and that my citizenship is secure in heaven. So it doesn't matter what happens to my body. You are going to take care of me and I thank you for that. And then comes the promise that the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus. That word guard is another military term. It means a garrison around like a fortress, right? Picture soldiers that are surrounding a city in order to keep it safe. That's what God's peace does for you. It guards your hearts. It guards your emotions. It guards your mind, your thoughts. Not because life's circumstances change. The big difference is that God is with you. During the Dialesian persecutions, Christians were being brought into arenas and burned at the stake and tormented and fed to wild animals. And there's a story that Justin Martyr tells of a Christian that was

Tied up to the stake and a judge was talking about how much delight he took in sacri in killing and murdering these martyrs. And the Christian said, "Put your hand on my heart. Do you feel it beat fast?" And the judge had to admit, he said, "No, no, it's not beating fast." He said, 'Now put your hand on your own heart. It's beating much faster than my own because my peace is with God, and I know that you tremble, but I do not. Church, what are you anxious about? Is it the safety of your children? Is it the direction of our nation? Is it your health or your finances? God. He invites you to stop being filled with anxiety about those things and to find the joy and the freedom that comes from giving God all your weights and all your burdens that you have. You see, anxiety drains you, but prayer strengthens you. Anxiety, it locks you in, but prayer brings God into the equation to guard you because no peace is found outside of Christ. And so Paul, he reminds us this, just like I said earlier, for he himself is our peace. You see, it's the cross is where Jesus bore our the ultimate cause of our anxiety, our sin and judgment. And he took on that weight so that we might rest in God's fatherly care for us. On the cross, Jesus, he took on the crushing weight of sin debt so that you may never again have to fear the wrath of God. And if he has already carried that burden, why wouldn't he also carry the burdens of tomorrow? He's purchased peace with his blood. And his peace guards us even now. And I want you to write this down as well. Fifth point, think and live as heavenly citizens. Paul, he wraps up this section by talking about our thought life and the practice of our faith. Verse eight, it says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is

True, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there's any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. You know, we live in an anxious, noisy, chaotic world. We've got social media and cable news and constant alerts on our phones. Our minds are systematically bombarded by the weights of this world. And here Paul says, "Guard what fills your mind." And look at that list. True, honorable, just pure lovely commendable excellent praiseworthy. This isn't a list of things for you to think positively on. That's not Paul's point here. It's not a motivational cap poster. Okay? Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the righteous one. Jesus is the pure and spotless lamb. Jesus is altogether lovely. Jesus is the commendable servant. Jesus is the excellent one in whom the father delights in. Jesus is the one worthy of our praise. Paul isn't calling us to just positive thinking. He's calling us to fix our minds on Christ Jesus himself. Proverbs 4:23 says this, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Jesus, he has a similar truth in Mark chapter 7. And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery coveting wickedness deceit sensuality envy slander pride foolishness. All these evil things come from within and they defile a person. He goes on to say this, "You brood of vipers, how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil." Think of your mind and your heart as a spring of water.

If the source of that water gets polluted, the rest of the stream gets poisoned. What's flowing into your mind is eventually going to flow out through your words, through your actions, through your beliefs and habits. Chuck has often times said to my son Malachi, "Garbage in, garbage out." But when you dwell on Christ, when you think on his truth, the fruit that flows is peace and joy and holiness. And Paul, he continues, "What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things and the God of peace will be with you." Four verbs. What you have learned. This is where we get our word disciplehip from. Disciplehip. It's not just filling notebooks or going to a class. It's training your whole life. The Philippians, they learned from Paul's teaching ministry. And much like the rabbitical students of that time, they listen carefully to their master's instructions and then they put it into practice. And Paul, he says, "Take what you've learned from me and live it." Also, what they've received. This word means taking hold of what's been handed down. Paul, he uses it in first Corinthians. He says, "Now I would remind you, brothers, the Gospel that I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain." What they received was not man's opinion. It was the Gospel. It's the Gospel itself entrusted and delivered to them. The thirdly is what they've heard. This goes beyond classroom teaching. He did life on life with these people. They saw his correction and his encouragement and how he conducted himself. They listened to his prayers. And so Ephesians 4:29 tells us to let our speech be for building up. And Paul, he

Modeled that. They heard the Gospel not just as a doctrine but as instruction for daily living. Fourthly, what they've seen says that you've seen this in me. You didn't just hear me preach and then I lived a completely different life. They watched him suffer with joy, to pray instead of panic, to love instead of lashing out. They saw him walk the talk. And now he says, "Be imitators of me as I am of Christ." Do you see the chain? Learned, received, heard, seen. Get your head, your heart, your mouth, your life. And Paul, he says, practice these things. Don't just admire them. Don't just say, "I wish I could do that. You have the same Holy Spirit. Do it." And here's the promise. The God of peace will be with you. It's not just his peace that he gives to them as well. Verse seven says, "The peace of God will guard your hearts and that the God of peace himself will be with you. That God will be with you." Church, what are you thinking about? What are you practicing? If your mind is filled with sarcasm and cynicism and fear and filth, don't be surprised if peace is distant from you. But if your thoughts and your life are anchored in Christ, well, then you're going to have that peace that surpasses all understanding. Church Paul, he gives us a picture of what heavenly citizenship looks like. Stability unity joy reasonleness prayer, godly thinking. And isn't that what our world needs right now? This week we've seen sorrow upon sorrow with the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the shooting in Colorado. Earlier this April, we had the murder of Pastor Bill Shonman. And these things, they may threaten to shake us and they remind us of how fragile life is and how uncertain tomorrow is. It reminds us of how broken our world

Is. And yet in Philippians 4, God, he offers his people something that the world can't manufacture. Peace that passes understanding. You guys might remember, if you're my age or older, you probably remember the Sunday after September 11th, and everyone was joining hands and singing songs and God Bless America, and there were baptisms. How long did that last? It's about knowing Christ. It's about receiving Christ. It's about trusting Christ. And let me remind you that no tragedy can erase the reality that Christ has made us his own. He stood firm in obedience to the cross. He reconciled us to God. He secured our joy. He bore our anxieties. He fills our hearts and our minds with peace. Not temporary peace, but eternal peace. And his coming again to bring us into the fullness of his kingdom where all those tears will be wiped away. That's why we can rejoice. That's why we can stand firm in the truth and the power of the Gospel. But if you do not have Jesus, you do not have that hope. You do not have that peace. And if you don't know Jesus and this week your world has been shattered, I want to tell you that God, he sees you. God, he knows you. And that you can be saved if you turn from your sin and all your wickedness and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. >> You don't have to clean up your life. You don't have to get things straight first. The thing that you have to worry about is what are you going to do with Jesus? So if you want to talk about that, talk to me after service or during the response song. We can we can talk about how you can have that peace in Christ. Head, heart, hand, head. God, he wants you to know that true and lasting peace is found only when you turn from sin and trust in Christ alone. He was crucified.

He was buried and rose again. And he has made us citizens of the heavenly kingdom. And he has secured us and now our hope is unshakable heart God he wants you to believe that because Christ stood firm in obedience that your standing before God is secure. So look to Jesus. See that you are loved, that you are forgiven, and you are guarded by his peace. No matter how dark this world may become in hand, God, he wants you to live out your heavenly citizenship. So stand firm in Christ, pursue unity, rejoice, be reasonable, turn worries into prayers, and set your mind on Christ. Let the God of peace be seen in your life as you walk by faith in him. Father, we do thank you so much for this time that we get to have together and as we respond in worship, God, this is our time where we get to have to lift up our hands and to dedicate our hearts and our minds to you. And Father, I just pray that you would just move in our congregation. Help us to dedicate ourselves to you and to continue to abide in your peace by knowing you, God, and to continue growing in you. We ask that you would speak to our hearts. Help us to commit ourselves to loving you and to abiding in you, Lord. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's all stand and let's worship together. [Music] All I once held dear built my life upon all this world rees and most to All I want again I have counted loss spent and worthless now compared to this. Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you,

There is no greater thing. You're my all. You're the best. You're my joy, my rightousness. And I love you, Lord. Now my heart's desire is to know you more to be found in you and known as yours. To possess by faith what I could not earn. All surpassing gift of rightuousness. Knowing you, Jesus. Knowing you, there is no greater thing. You're my all. You're the best. You're my joy, my righteousness. And I love you, Lord. [Music] Oh, to know the power of your mering life and to know you live your sufferings [Music] to become like you in your death. My Lord, so with you to live and never die. Knowing you, Jesus. Knowing you, there is no gater. [Music] You're my Oh, you're the best. You're my joy, my righteousness, and I love you, Lord. Knowing you, Jesus. [Applause] Knowing you, there is no greater thing. You're my all. You're the best. You're my joy, my rightousness, and I love you, Lord. And I love you, Lord. [Music] Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the

Revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations according to the command of the eternal God and to bring about the obedience of faith to the only wise God be glory forever more through Jesus Christ. Amen. Go in peace.