Read Philippians 4:2-9.

Note: The Greek phrase, γνilσιε συζυγε, is usually translated, “loyal yokefellow.” However, it appears that συζυγε (Syzygus) is a proper name, in which case Paul is making a play on words, appealing to this trustworthy individual, this loyal fellow worker for Christ, to assist these two Christian sisters in gaining reconciliation.

Introduction⤒🔗

The hymn writer, Edward Bickersteth, asked the following questions:

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?

To each of those questions he provides the answer “Yes,” and points us to some aspect of the peace of God:

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus’ bosom naught but calm is found.

Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
In Jesus’ keeping we are safe and they.

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.

In this next passage of Philippians, the Apostle Paul directs our attention to the subject of the peace of God. The Lord desires for us to experience His peace in our lives. But in order for us to do so, we must understand the three keys to experiencing that divine peace as they are presented to us in this passage.

Always Seek to Maintain Christian Unity←⤒🔗

In verse two, we find that two women in the Philippian church are singled out for a special word of admonition: “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.” These two Christian sisters were at odds with one another, and it was having a detrimental effect upon the local congregation.

They are two sincere Christian ladies; they labored with Paul for the gospel (vs. 3). Nevertheless, despite their mutual commitment to Christ, a division and separation has developed between them. Maybe they took opposing sides on some controversial subject; maybe one or the other gave personal offense; or possibly a combination of these things happened. But whatever the problem, these two Christian sisters are now at odds with one another and it is having a detrimental effect on the peace of the church and their own personal relationship with God.

How does the Apostle Paul address this particular problem? In this case, he does not single out either one of them as being especially blameworthy, no doubt both were at fault. He exhorts both of them: “live in harmony in the Lord.”

This is similar to the admonition Paul had occasion to give to the Corinthian church: “Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you; but, rather, that you be bound together by the same attitude and by the same purpose” (1 Cor. 1:10).

Paul exhorts the Corinthians “to be bound together,” (or, “mended together,” from the Greek word, καταρτιζω), by having “the same attitude and the same purpose.” It is not only (or even primarily) a matter of striving to achieve this same attitude and purpose; rather, as Christians we possess the attitude and purpose that are the keys to maintaining spiritual unity and we must cultivate them for the sake of Christ. What is this “attitude”? We may look to Philippians 2:3-8 for the answer:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but with a humble mind let each one consider others as occupying a higher position than himself. ⁴Let each one be concerned not only about his own interests, but also about the interests of others. ⁵Have this mind in you that was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶existing in the form of God, he did not regard his being on an equality with God as a thing to be exploited; ⁷on the contrary, he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. Being found as a man in appearance, ⁸he humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death, even death on the cross.

What is this “same purpose”? It is the purpose expressed by Paul when he testifies, “for me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21a). We should be striving together to exalt Christ, following the example of John the Baptist when he declared of Christ, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). We should be striving together to promote and advance the kingdom of God, as our Lord teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

What about those times when sincere Christians take different sides on a particular issue? How can unity be maintained in the midst of diversity of opinion?

First, each should ask himself such questions as these: Is there a biblical principle at stake in this controversy? Is a biblical command clearly being violated or a biblical truth clearly being sacrificed? Or, am I only insisting on my own way in this controversy or seeking to impose my own personal scruples?

Second, they should each humbly look to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment and grace. They should seek the grace to yield to their brother when a biblical principle is not clearly at stake, as opposed to insisting on having their own way. On the other hand, they should seek the grace to speak the truth in love when a biblical principle is at issue, following the counsel of the Apostle Paul given to Timothy: “the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, with the hope that God would grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24-25).

Proverbs 25:12 says, “As an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.” Do you want to see something that is truly precious? Do you want to see something that is far more stunning than the costliest jewel? This is it: “A wise rebuker” speaking to “an obedient ear.” “A wise rebuker” is not only someone who is willing to speak a word of rebuke or warning when such a word is required, but someone who speaks that word with grace; he speaks the truth in love. “An obedient ear” is an ear that receives the word being spoken to it, rather than ignoring it or taking offense at it because of wounded pride or shame. A wise rebuker speaking to an obedient ear; not only is truth and righteousness being promoted, but the very process itself is a thing of beauty and bears the mark of being a work of God. It is precious to the LORD.

If the doctrinal error is so great as to contradict the cardinal tenets of the Christian faith, and the erring brother does not renounce the error, the matter should be brought to the attention of the leaders of the church. When such a situation arose in the church of Antioch, Paul and Barnabas were exhorted to bring the matter to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem:

...certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. 'Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question. Acts 15:1-2

The same procedure would also pertain to a situation in which a brother is living in blatant and public sin. When such a situation prevailed in the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul instructed the church to enact discipline against the offender, both for the honor of Christ and for the sake of the man’s soul (cf. 1 Cor. 5:1-5).

Third, when a brother has approached both his brother and the church with regard to a serious matter of doctrine or sin, and has found both to be unresponsive, he must be confident that it is Christ’s church, and thus should ask Him to graciously exercise His lordship and then humbly offer himself in Christ’s service, praying in accordance with Paul’s admonition recorded in Philippians 3:15, “All of us who are mature should have this attitude [i.e. the attitude of pressing on towards the goal of our Christian calling, cf. Phil. 3:14], and if you have any different attitude, God will certainly reveal that to you.” We may pray for the Lord to graciously convict and convince our brothers “if [they] have any different attitude,” (i.e. if they are clearly acting or speaking contrary to the Word of God, if they are not walking in line with the truth). At the same time, we must be sure to live lives that measure up to the level of spiritual maturity we have thus far attained in Christ, being sure to examine our own lives and yield ourselves to the Lord.

Fourth, the brother must be careful to avoid a self-righteous and condemning spirit, avoiding the example set by Elijah as recorded in 1 Kings 19:14,18, when he exhibited an attitude of self-pity and self-righteousness, viewing himself alone as being faithful to the LORD:

¹⁴And [Elijah] replied, I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left; and now they are trying to kill me, too.

[In verse 18 we find the LORD’s response to Elijah]:
¹⁸Yet I will reserve seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.

Falsely assuming that he was the only one who was faithful to the LORD, Elijah had to be informed that there were “seven thousand in Israel...whose knees have not bowed down to Baal.”

Returning to the Philippians passage, we find that Paul urges a mature Christian, whom he identifies as faithful Syzygus, (Syzygus means, “yoked together”), to live up to his name and show himself to be a “true yoke fellow;” i.e. a true partner with Paul in the cause of Christ by helping these two women to be reconciled. Sometimes the aid of a mature and trustworthy Christian brother or sister is needed to bring brethren together in reconciliation.

Thus, the first key to experiencing the peace of God is to always seek to maintain Christian unity. As the Psalmist exclaims, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Psl. 133:1) By the grace of God, may we heed Paul’s exhortation given in his epistle to the Ephesians:

So then, I, the prisoner for the Lord, exhort you to walk in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you were called: ²[walk] with all humility and meekness, and with patience, bearing with each other in love, ³making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit by the bond of peace. Eph. 4:1-3

Always Rejoice in the Lord←⤒🔗

The Apostle Paul exhorts the Philippians: “Always rejoice in the Lord” (vs. 4).

Does this mean that we as Christians are to simply “put on a happy face and spread sunshine all over the place”? Does it mean that we are to constantly and indiscriminately shout “Praise the Lord!” no matter what happens? (like the man who shouted “Praise the Lord!” in response to hearing that the devil is the prince of this world). Does it mean that we are to always be happy and continually experience a sense of spiritual euphoria?

Other passages of Scripture would argue against such views as those mentioned above. Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 declares, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven... ⁴a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Standing at the tomb of His friend, Lazarus, “Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35). Such passages as these counterbalance Paul’s exhortation given to the Philippians.

In the light of such counterbalancing passages of Scripture, what does the Apostle Paul mean when he exhorts us to “always rejoice in the Lord”? What does it involve? What makes it possible?

First, always rejoicing in the Lord involves the awareness of and confidence in God’s sovereignty and goodness in all the circumstances of our lives as Christians: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). We must also take into consideration the perspective and encouragement offered to the Christian in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “Our light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So we focus [our attention] not on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporal, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Second, always rejoicing in the Lord involves the acceptance of God’s divine will for our lives, as Paul gives an example from his own life:

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me a thorn [or, stake] in my flesh, a messenger from Satan, to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, because my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest upon me. 2 Cor. 12:7-9

Third, always rejoicing in the Lord involves the assurance of the Lord’s promise as recorded in Isaiah 43:2-3a,

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and [when you pass through] the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze, ³because I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Fourth, always rejoicing in the Lord involves the act of trusting and resting in the Lord. Referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostle Peter writes, “[Although] you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, by believing in him you greatly rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and glorious” (1 Pet. 1:8).

We may view the Apostle Paul’s instructions in verses 5-6 as “three aids” to assist us in rejoicing in the Lord always: First, we are to have “a forbearing (or, gentle) spirit” (vs. 5a). That is to say, by the grace of Christ, we are to cultivate a controlled and accepting spirit, one that does not persistently insist on its own way and its own rights, fretting and fighting when it is crossed or disappointed. Paul had previously admonished the Philippians: “Do all things without murmuring and grumbling, ¹⁵so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the universe” (Phil. 2:14-15). As the hymn writer, Georg Neumark, expresses it, (providing his counsel in up-to-date contemporary English):

If you will allow God to guide you, and hope in him through all your ways.
He’ll give you strength, whatever happens to you, and bear you through the evil days.
Whoever trusts in God’s unchanging love builds on the rock that nothing can move.

What can these anxious cares do for you, these never-ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help, if you weep in self-pity over each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials only press the heavier for our bitterness.

Only be still, and wait His leisure in cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whatever your Father’s pleasure and all-deserving love has sent.
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known to him who chose us for his own.

Second, we are to have the assurance that “the Lord is near” (vs. 5b). The Greek text may literally be translated, “the Lord is on the verge of coming.” The Apostle Peter speaks of “the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5). The salvation accomplished by Christ’s work is finished and prepared and waiting to be revealed at God’s command, at which time the Lord Jesus shall return in power and great glory. By way of illustration: In June of 1989, the Chinese Red Army was poised on the outskirts of Tiananmen Square, all prepared and simply awaiting the command to advance against the student demonstrators. In contrast to that ominous preparation of an avenging army being “at hand,” as Christians we have the assurance that our gracious Lord Jesus, who loves us and gave Himself up for us, is “at hand.”

Third, we must employ the practice of converting anxiety into prayer. Anxiety is the symptom that indicates we are trying to play the role of God and we are aware that we are not succeeding: things are out of our control or beyond our control, thereby causing a sense of anxiety. The Word of God teaches us that the alternative to anxiety is prayer: “Do not be anxious about anything...in everything...let your requests be made known to God” (vs. 6). There is no concern that is either too big or too small for us to bring to the attention of our heavenly Father. We must accept and act upon the counsel provided by the Apostle Peter: “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, (so that he may exalt you at the appointed time), ⁷by casting all your cares upon him, because he cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:6-7).

Our prayers are to be “with thanksgiving,” acknowledging God’s goodness and mercy to His children in Christ. The LORD expresses His gracious purposes for His children in Christ through the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). Our prayers are to be “with thanksgiving,” remembering our Lord’s past acts of covenant faithfulness and His unchangeable character: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

Paul assures us that when we heed his divinely inspired counsel, “the peace of God...will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That is to say, the peace of God shall stand as a sentinel protecting our emotions and our thoughts from the devastating attacks of the evil one.

The second key to experiencing the peace of God, always rejoice in the Lord as that commandment is defined and explained by the Word of God.

Always Cultivate a Christian Mind←⤒🔗

Let your mind dwell upon “whatever is true.” Using the Word of God as our standard, we are to let our minds concentrate upon and contemplate truth, as opposed to falsehood and fantasy.

Let your mind dwell upon “whatever is honorable.” We should focus our thoughts upon those things (actions, words, decisions, etc.) that command respect because of their moral uprightness or devotion to righteousness. The Greek word translated, “honorable” (σεµνοs) also denotes seriousness, as opposed to frivolity. In which case, the instruction is to avoid filling our minds with senseless frivolity; concentrating rather on that which is wholesome and worthy of the Christian’s attention and respect.

Let your mind dwell upon “whatever is just.” We must consider justice and rightness, as opposed to that which is merely convenient or pragmatic or popular or unscrupulous. We must obey the admonition our Lord Jesus gave to the Pharisees:

Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tithe of your spices: mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faith. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matt. 23:23

Let your mind dwell upon “whatever is pure.” We should focus our thoughts upon those things that are morally clean, as opposed to what is lewd and immoral and disgusting. We must obey the admonition of Scripture: “Do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead rebuke them, ¹²for it is shameful to even speak about the things that they are doing in secret” (Eph. 5:11-12).

Let your mind dwell upon “whatever is lovely.” We should focus our thoughts upon those things (acts, relationships, etc.) that bring forth a feeling of affection, those things that are precious (such as family, friendships, Christian fellowship, etc.)

Let your mind dwell upon “whatever is admirable.” We should focus our thoughts upon those things that command respect and admiration and cannot be heard reported without a sense of respect or appreciation for them, such as acts of courage, deeds of love, examples of humility and self-sacrifice. In the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird, all of the black community, seated in the balcony of the courthouse, rise to their feet when Atticus Finch leaves the courtroom, showing their respect and admiration for this man who had the courage to defend an innocent black man against the false charges brought against him.

Let your mind dwell upon “virtue.” What is in view here is moral excellence (αρετη); the term was originally used by the Greeks to mean those qualities that should characterize a man. As a Christian, whenever you see a man reflecting the character of Christ, take note of that man and praise God and seek to emulate him.

Let your mind dwell upon anything that is “praiseworthy.” That is to say, let your mind dwell upon whatever accurately reflects the moral character of God, (His love, His truth, His holiness), or the creativity of God.

As you cause your mind to be so oriented and your life to be so shaped (vs. 9), there is the assurance, “the peace of God will be with you.”

Here is the third key to experiencing the peace of God, always cultivate a Christian mind.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

As we study Philippians 4:2-9, there is brought to our attention these instructions for Christian living, which we may call, “Three Keys to Experiencing the Peace of God:"

• Always seek to maintain Christian unity;
• Always rejoice in the Lord; and,
• Always cultivate a Christian mind.

May our Lord Jesus Christ help us to accept and implement His instruction given through the Apostle Paul, and in so doing we shall find that the God of peace will be with us.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What broken relationship within the Philippian church does Paul address? See Phil. 4:2. Was Paul concerned that factions might begin to form around these two sisters in Christ who were at odds with each other? How are these two Christian sisters described? See Phil. 4:3. Have you ever witnessed a situation in which genuine Christian brothers or sisters found themselves in conflict with one another? What could cause such strife; might the chief cause be pride, or the unwillingness to be teachable? Note Jas. 3:17,

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Phil. 4:2

Indeed, I ask you, faithful Syzygus, to help these women who labored with me for the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers whose names are in the book of life. Phil. 4:3

...the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Jas. 3:17

2. What instruction does Paul give these two Christian sisters (cf. Phil. 4:2) and to Syzygus (cf. Phil. 4:3a)? Could it be that Paul’s earlier exhortation (Phil. 2:2), was especially intended for these two women? How might Syzygus help these women? Are you being diligent to maintain the Holy Spirit-created unity of Christ’s body, the church? Note Eph. 4:1-3. Could quarreling Christians look to you for help in reconciliation? How would you help them?

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. ³Indeed, I ask you, faithful Syzygus, to help these women who labored with me for the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my fellow-workers whose names are in the book of life. Phil. 4:2-3

So then, if there is any exhortation in Christ, if any incentive of love, if any spiritual fellowship, if any affection and compassion, ²make my joy complete by having the same mind, the same love, [being] united in spirit, [living] in harmony. Phil. 2:1-2

I, the prisoner for the Lord, exhort you to walk [in a way that is] worthy of the calling unto which you were called: ²[walk] with all humility and meekness, and with patience, bearing with each other in love, 'making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit by the bond of peace. Eph. 4:1-3

3. With emphasis, what does the Apostle Paul exhort the Philippian Christians to do? Se Phil. 4:4. Does this mean the Christian is to simply “be happy,” being oblivious to the suffering all around him and indifferent to the sins with which he himself struggles? Note Eccl. 3:1, 4; Jn. 11:35; Jas. 4:8b-9,

Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I say, Rejoice. Phil. 4:4

¹There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven... ⁴a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Eccl. 3:1, 4

Jesus wept. Jn. 11:35

Here is described Jesus’ emotion as He stood before the tomb of His dear friend, Lazarus.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to somberness. Jas. 4:8-9

4. In light of such counterbalancing Scriptures, what does the Apostle Paul mean when he exhorts us to “always rejoice in the Lord”? Note Rom. 8:28; does not your awareness of and confidence in God’s sovereignty and goodness in all the circumstances of your life as a Christian give you just cause to rejoice? Note Jn. 14:16, 18, 20; does not the assurance of our Lord’s constant presence with us and the sure promise of a resurrection reunion with Him give you just cause to rejoice in the midst of any and every circumstance? Note, too, Jn. 14:1-3,

And we know that to them that love God, all things work together for good, to them that are called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, ¹⁷the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive him; because it does not see him, nor does it know him. [But] you know him; because he abides with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹After a little while the world will no longer see me; but you will see me. Because I live, you shall live also. ²⁰On that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.Jn. 14:16-20

Do not let your heart be troubled; trust in God, trust in me also. ²In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going to prepare a place for you. ³And if Igo and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me; so that where I am, you may be also. Jn. 14:1-3

5. What is the biblical way to combat anxiety? See Phil. 4:6-7. Do you resort to these biblical measures? Having submitted your requests unto God, do you submit your will unto Him? Note Matt. 26:39. Is not a major cause of anxiety the desire to be in control of a situation, and the awareness that you are not in control? What are we as Christians to do? See 1 Pet. 5:6-7,

Do not be anxious about anything. On the contrary, in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 'and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6-7

He went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.' Matt. 26:39

...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, (so that he may exalt you at the appointed time), ⁷by casting all your cares upon him, because he cares for you. 1 Pet. 5:6-7