This is a copy of my talk given in the Anglican Church of Paphos on Sunday 11 October 2026. The Bible Reading was Philippians 4:1-9.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your word.
By the power of Your Holy Spirit,
May You speak to my heart,
And change my life.
In the precious name of Jesus I pray.
Amen. 

Introduction

The apostle Paul sometimes gets dismissed by those who don’t like what he writes as some kind of hard-hearted chauvinist. But it’s hard to see how he could be any more affectionate than he is in the final few paragraphs of this letter to the Philippians. Vs1: Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown … Wouldn’t you love to receive a letter that began like that! 

He’s referring to the crown that was given to an athlete at the end of a race.  They’re proof that he has run his race victoriously. He is filled with joy as he remembers how people like Lydia and the jailer came to faith and how they have courageously stood for Christ in a pagan world.

And it’s out of the depth of his love for them that he urges his dear friends to stand firm in the Lord.  It’s a military command, given by a Roman officer to his soldiers, ordering them to hold their position on the battlefield.  Of course, the Philippians weren’t highly trained soldiers, but they were on the frontline of spiritual warfare and under huge pressure from the culture around them. And, as we’ll see, the first cracks of division and disunity were beginning to appear within.  So, Paul urges them to stand firm.

And in theses verses, Paul tells us what that involves in very practical terms.  I have four points I want to draw from this passage:

  1. Prize Gospel Unity

In vs2-3, Paul writes: I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.  Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

It always makes me sad when Christians fall out with each other. I always think we should be above that and be able to resolve our differences in the love of Christ.

But there are two reasons that this high-profile conflict between Euodia (fragrant) and Syntyche (fortunate one) is such a tragedy.  One of those is found at the end of vs3, because their … names are in the book of life. These women are going to spend eternity together in the joy and unity of heaven. But you wouldn’t know it, would you?  And that’s the tragedy. Their relationship doesn’t reflect the future that God has in store for them.

We, who belong to Jesus, will spend eternity together. And we forget that when we fall out with each other.  The quality of our relationships in a church community should be a foretaste of heaven.  And that thought should cause us to prize our unity now. But there’s another reason this unresolved conflict between Euodia and Syntyche is so tragic.

And that comes earlier in vs3, when Paul writes these two women have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, and he calls them his co-workers. They were high profile members of the church.  They had contended for the gospel, but now they were contending with each other.

A divided church cannot stand firm when they are quarrelling with each other. Division is the work of the enemy and, as we see in the story of Nehemiah, it was God’s people who stopped the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem – not the enemy outside the walls!  Nehemiah described them as the enemy within. That old saying is so true: United we stand, divided we fall. 

Notice how Paul doesn’t take sides. He doesn’t say: One of you is obviously right and the other is wrong. Instead, he appeals to both of them, vs2: Agree with each other in the Lord.

They might think differently over a whole host of other things.  But when it comes to following Jesus, he wants them to be of one mind. What we have in common in the Lord is always greater than anything that might drive us apart. So, when we do fall out with each other, it should be our priority to be reconciled. And sometimes, that might mean turning to others to help us: Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women …

If you’re aware of any differences you have with others, then make the first move. Be the one who acts first. Seek to be reconciled. Arrange to have a chat over a coffee.  If you owe someone an apology, then apologise.  And if you need help doing that, ask for it. Ask a member of the clergy, a churchwarden or a mature believer, to help you. This is how we’ll stand firm in the Lord as a church.

  1. Pray In All Circumstances

Secondly, we will only stand firm if we pray in all circumstances. In vs4, Paul writes: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice. It’s not the first time Paul has written this. But when there’s conflict in the church, it can seem impossible to rejoice. 

If you’ve ever been in a church in which there’s been a falling out between members, you’ll know how little joy there is in that situation. Yet, Paul writes that Christians can rejoice despite their circumstances. Paul tells them to rejoice in the Lord always, even when they might not feel like doing so.

It’s when we rejoice in God’s undeserved kindness to us that we can put our differences into perspective. We are all sinners saved by grace. But God came to us in Christ and made peace, at great cost to himself. We cannot rejoice in the Lord and hold onto grudges between us. And Paul goes on, vs5: Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

Conflict can bring out the worst in everyone. Emotions increase. We can do and say things we regret. So, Paul urges the Philippians to keep their emotions under control. They’re to be gentle with each other. And they’re to do so in the knowledge that the Lord is near to give peace to troubled hearts.

But if there’s anything that can destroy our peace, it’s anxiety.  Anxiety tears us apart. It robs us of our joy and our peace. And with high profile members falling out with each other, there is always a knock-on effect in the life of a church, and this is true here in Philippi – there was plenty for them to be anxious about. So, Paul writes in vs6a: Do not be anxious about anything … To be anxious is to be troubled with cares.

And the cure, says Paul, is prayer. He goes on vs6b: … but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. We’re not to be anxious about anything, we’re to be prayerful about everything.

What situation is weighing you down? What are you anxious about?  Perhaps, as in Philippi, it’s a relationship in the church that’s broken down.  Perhaps it’s something else. We feel anxious about things when we don’t feel in control. We get anxious when we want to fix something but don’t know how. That’s when it tears us apart. Pray about it, as Paul says; … present your requests to God.

True prayer is marked not only by requests for what we want God to do for us, but by thankfulness for who he is and what he has already done. That doesn’t mean that peace will come instantly. But prayer with thankfulness is the pathway to it. Vs7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Isn’t that a lovely promise.  When we pray with thankfulness, God promises to guard our hearts and minds with his peace. A peace that transcends all understanding,

In other words, it’s a supernatural peace.  It isn’t found through learning yoga or mastering Eastern meditation techniques.  It’s found only through faith in Jesus Christ.  And it’s obtained only through prayer.

Whatever you’re feeling anxious about, spend time speaking with your heavenly Father about it.  Trust that he is in control. Ask him to give you the peace he has promised. It’s this peace that will guard our hearts and enable us to stand firm in the Lord, rejoicing in him, whatever our circumstances.

  1. Pursue What Is Good

Thirdly, if we’re to stand firm in the Lord, we must pursue what is good. Vs8: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  

Right thoughts produce right living.  Wrong thoughts produce wrong living.  If you are I are to stand firm in the Lord, then it really matters what we fill our heads with. That’s especially true when we’re dealing with conflict, as the Philippians were. So, Paul says, take great care what you think about.

This isn’t the power of positive thinking or anything like that. It’s about bringing our thinking in line with God’s. And Paul gives us a long list of things to think about: … whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable … then he goes on, think about whatever is excellent or praiseworthy … 

We can all choose what we fill our minds with just as we can choose what we fill our stomachs with.  We all know that we should eat our 5-a-day, avoid ultra-processed food and not have too much chocolate.  Whether we do it or not is a matter of choice.  And whether we fill our minds with these wholesome things is also a matter of choice.

It requires a commitment to reading God’s word and reflecting on it.  And, ultimately, it means taking time to reflect on the life and character of Jesus.  We’ll find no better example of all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy than Jesus.

This is the antidote to conflict in the church. It’s hard to stay angry with someone when your head is full of all these things instead.  It’s hard to hold onto a grudge when your head is full of the love and compassion of Jesus. Then, Paul says, the God of peace will be with you, helping you succeed as you pursue a life of peace.

  1. Practise What You Observe

And a final point, put it into practise. It’s not enough merely to think about these things, we need to do them. In vs9 Paul sets himself out as a role model for other Christians: whatever you have seen in me, put into practice. These are very brave words and, I believe, raise two issues for us to consider.

Firstly, how many of us when asked how a Christian should live the life Jesus taught us to live would be able to say: Watch and listen to me and then imitate me in all that I do. In that way, you will know how you should live a Christian life. For Paul to be able to do this shows his supreme confidence that he totally embraces the Christian life.

Secondly, we should not be afraid to imitate those Christians whom we admire as people of God. As with all things we want to learn about, we need to watch others, learn from them. If we are then able to put into practise what we have observed, then Paul says the God of peace will be with us.

Conclusion

This is how we stand firm in the Lord, without being torn apart by division and in-fighting. It’s by prizing gospel unity and refusing to let other things divide us. It’s by rejoicing in the Lord and praying in all circumstances and allowing the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds. It’s by pursuing what is good in our thinking and putting it into practise, in the knowledge that the God of peace is with us.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The text contained in this sermon (except where stated) is solely owned by its author, Revd Paul A. Carr. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author provides free sermon resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in building God’s Kingdom and making disciples.

This song ‘Toward The Light’ is by a UK Christian Band from Manchester called ‘The Mighty Flyers’ and this is taken from their 1974 album ‘Low Flying Angels’. It’s a bit of an oldie but it’s a deeply moving song and one of my favourite Christian songs of all time. I’ll post the lyrics below. 

 

Toward The Light The Mighty Flyers

Sometimes,
All I see is darkness
And my tears
They flow like rivers in the night
I ache inside for peace
Can’t seem to find it
If I had someone to help me
In the fight

Then he comes to me
And he puts his arm around me
And we talk about
The hard times in my life
Oh he turns and takes my hand
And leads me onward
And together
We walk toward the light

Come unto me
All you with heavy burdens
I will bless you
With a yolk that you can bear
I came not to condemn you
But to give you peace at last
I promised you forgiveness
I can wipe away the tears

Then he comes to me
And he puts his arm around me
And we talk about
The hard times in my life
Oh he turns and takes my hand
And leads me onward
And together
We walk toward the light

Jesus came
To save the lost sinner
Salvation comes
In the name of the Lord
It’s nothing that we can do
Whether we are great or small
Jesus Christ crucified
He paid it all

Then he comes to me
And he puts his arm around me
And we talk about
The hard times in my life
Oh he turns and takes my hand
And leads me onward
And together
We walk toward the light

Copyright © 1974 Joe Greer
Myrrh Records. MYR 1016