"Peace for discord" - Philippians 4:4-9

Last week we talked about humility and concluded with the reason why this is so important. We read, Philippians 2:14-15 … Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.  So, it is important to have humility so that we might “shine like stars” in the midst of a “crooked and perverse generation”. But humility is of course not the only quality that shines out through the darkness.

Another way we can “shine like stars” is to live in a peaceful way. This is referred to in these verses as follows: Do all things without murmuring and arguing. Now who of us doesn’t do a little bit of murmuring under their breath, and some arguing, even if it is restrained or contained?! Well, its natural and its human!! I think that these words of Paul are fundamentally directed toward our interpersonal relationships, our basic lifestyle attitudes and behaviour, and how we react when things don’t go our way. People without a divine God-like reference point in their lives react one way, but those with Jesus as their Lord should react in a different, more beneficial, way.

In Ephesians 4:26, written sometime later, reads: Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. This text acknowledges the human propensity toward anger, but warns against letting it [anger] have its way. It also points out the major problem that is unleashed if anger is not controlled. Along the same line, Jesus suggests that anger is the route that leads to murder and therefore is under judgement (Matthew 5:21-22). The antidote to such feelings of anger, as we shall consider more later, is a determination toward reconciliation with any estranged brother or sister or neighbour.

Our reading from Philippians 4:4-9 includes various attributes of the Jesus-follower, which might all be a part of living a peaceful life, i.e. joy, gentleness, lack of worry, and prayer combined with thankfulness. There are also ideas here that the person living in peace will have a good thought life: these people will think primarily about what is true, honourable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise. Thinking like this, of course, leads to acting in line with such thought processes … our actions following our inner attitudes and motivations. Then, also, the person of peace will follow good examples; like Paul, and Jesus, and others you could think of yourself who have taught you well and provided a good example to follow. Living in peace encapsulates all of these great attributes listed in this passage.

But all of this starts not in just trying to improve ourselves in our own efforts, for Paul uses the term “peace with God”. True peaceful living starts with gaining such a peace with God that other levels of peace then become possible. How do we ultimately gain peace with God?? By accepting God’s gift of grace and his offer of forgiveness. Then we no more feel that we have to make things up to God, or that we will never be good or clean enough to be happy in life. God’s forgiveness means that we are no longer captive to guilt, or even worse, to shame. Guilt says, we have done wrong. Shame says, we are wrong (or, defective). God says, through his grace, expressed ultimately by Jesus on the cross (taking our guilt and shame upon himself), that God will set us free from all this … and that ultimately we can live in a state of peace.

This leads to being at peace within ourselves. Thomas Kelly, the Quaker philosopher, said that inside each person there should be a quiet centre that nothing can disturb – well that’s certainly something to aspire to!! The Christian mystics talked about the throne of God existing in the innermost part of our heart … yeah! … which no storm nor temptation could disturb! Okay, peace with God leads to peace within ourselves … and what else??? Peace with other people!

Whereas we might have had problems in our relationships with other people around us, because ultimately of how we have felt about ourselves, that is no longer the case! We can now become reconciled with people more easily. The forgiveness we have received makes it easier for us to forgive – well it better!! Feeling better about ourselves makes us more harmonious people. Paul also famously wrote to the Roman church these words (12:18) … if it is possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. Or as NLT translates, to take away any feelings of non-responsibility: Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

What else happens, when the peace we have with God has led to peace within, and then in turn peace with our family and neighbours?? We become less satisfied with any lack of peace, or if you like, more dissatisfied with conflict! There is the wise saying: “May the peace of Christ disturb us all”! We are not just receivers of the gift of peace, but also under the calling to be peacemakers. Jesus stated that one of the attitudes of a follower of his went like this … Blessed are the peacemakers, for they [and only they] will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). But this takes us into difficult and heady areas. John Dickson and Greg Clarke share a helpful conversation (in the "Life of Jesus" DVD series) about where our responsibilities lay in the complexity of this. Various world conflicts are not all our problem, but are partly our problem … or shall we say challenge.

Of course, the lack of progress toward peace in many areas can turn back in on us, so that we feel frustrated, impotent, angry and anything but peaceful. Prayer is an important tool here, as well as gaining perspective on what it is that we can personally and corporately make a positive difference in. And in this – the God of peace will be with us … guarding our hearts and minds! So now, how would you describe living at peace with God (in all its facets)???

"Humility for complexity" - Philippians 2:1-15

According to Paul (Philippians 2:5), we should have the same mind as Jesus did. This means to adopt the same thought patterns, attitudes and values as Jesus. Now this doesn’t just come naturally or by accident. Paul phrases it this way (as translated in NRSV), “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”. We have to allow for this … we have to decide for this! This is helped through having a relationship with Jesus, yet we can easily get complacent and drift. We have to choose that it will be this mind of Jesus that we opt for, as against other alternatives.

What might those other alternatives be?? The unhindered flow of our own minds!?! Some other person of influence!?! A desire for power!?! Jesus himself had to resist the temptation to shift from God’s path in a similar way to how we can be tempted to shift from following Jesus. Luke relates one of these temptations in this way (4:5-8):

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him".

No, Jesus said – I have a different ministry in mind, which will truly unveil what God is really like. It will not be based on power and coercion, but rather on love and service. The church has often tried to wield [or, “exploit”, as in v.6] power, and in so doing has lost the trust of people … well of course it has! The church has often tried to hang on to power after trust has been lost, and in so doing, losing all relevance and usefulness!

Paul calls us to humility, where we step aside (or, repent) from selfish ambition and self-centredness, and genuinely care for the needs of others. Jesus is initially cast in these verses (refer v. 7) in terms of the lowest possible human status – a “slave”, and then is accepting of the sort of death a criminal or non-descript person would expect – crucifixion (“death on a cross” v.8). Then of course we read the wonderful resolution of the life and identity and status of Jesus in verse 9-11 – resurrection and exaltation. But verse 9 begins with, “therefore…”. It was the former that allowed for the latter. If we are to be respected, trusted and appreciated as Jesus-followers, then first we need to be people of love and service. It is only the humble that can be lifted up; everybody else may be heading for a fall!

We could turn this around another way, for our own encouragement. If the people of God, like us, are called to be people of love and service, then we have one who has gone before us who can fully embrace us in the difficulty and complexity we encounter in life. No one in the Bible said the Christian life would be easy – in fact quite the opposite was often said. The way of mission was always expected to be hard. The only thing close to suggesting ease, was when Jesus was allowed to take up part of our load – “Come to me … Take my yoke upon you … and you will find rest” (Matthew 11:28-9).

And this is where we find the encouragement, encapsulated in Hebrews 4:15-16 … For we do not have a high priest [Jesus] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. In a sense, we’re not asked to go anywhere where Jesus hasn’t already been, or live in a way that Jesus has not already lived.

What does humility (in terms of v.3, and v.7) mean??? How does humility hit the road … in the way we live, and the way we look? Being open, responsive to new (even unexpected) possibilities, ready to learn, prepared to listen, teachable, welcoming, making room for others, more prone toward reconciliation and acceptance than bitterness and exclusion, generosity. We can easily see that coming into synergy or collaboration with the mind of Jesus, soon translates into the field of our activity.

In verses 12-13 we see a delicate balance … a partnership if you like. We ourselves are working out our salvation with fear and trembling – meaning: continually seeking to understand and apply what this great gift of grace means to us in everyday living (with a decent and appropriate level of seriousness). In this way we see our salvation as tangible, real, operational and effective. At the same time, God is on our side; but more than that … God is working away in us through the Holy Spirit, so that we form the will to love and serve, and then discover the way to love and serve.

Humble people don’t seek superiority, nor ‘lord it’ over others, nor continually find fault, nor label others. Humility comes from an understanding of our mutual dependence upon God for grace. And humility is formed through living in the complexity side-by-side with Jesus! Why is all this so important? We should read on another couple of verses (Phil.2:14-15) … so that we might “shine like stars” in the midst of a “crooked and perverse generation”.