When Unity is Lost

Transcript

GR 638
3/20/1983
When Unity is Lost
Philippians 4:2, 3
Gil Rugh

We are in Philippians and the Fourth Chapter this morning. As we come into the Fourth Chapter really the second verse, we come to a very important and interesting section because when we come to Chapter 4 verse 2 Paul takes what he has been saying in his exhortations and directs it now to specific personal situation. So the application becomes very personal and is also often the case that when we begin to apply the truth of the Scripture to specific cases it becomes even more alive. And I think if we study some of these sections in Chapter 4 we will even gain a greater appreciation for what Paul was saying in his exhortations earlier in the letters to the Philippians. Really he was laying the basic foundation for dealing with some specific situations at the church at Philippi.

We focused our last study on just one verse, the first verse, and we are reminded there of how important it is that we see one another as fellow believers as we should before God. Paul addresses them in several ways as brethren, as the beloved, as the ones belonged for, as his joy and as his crown. And part of the difficulties that we have as believers is we forget who we are. We forget about one another and our relationship together and how we ought to see one another. We spent time especially and Paul emphasized that the Philippians are his crown and that helps put into perspective why we are to spend so much time on one another, why we can’t give up on one another. When I stand in the presence of Jesus Christ to be awarded my stephanos, my victor’s crown for faithfulness here, you will be my crown and how you have turned out in effect will reflect on the effectiveness of my ministry in your life and how I have turned out will reflect on the effectiveness of your ministry in my life. That’s why it is so crucial that we be in prayer for one another, that we will be looking for ways to strengthen one another, to develop and mature one another rather than to tear one another down and undermine one another.

The exhortation at the end of verse 4 was to stand firm in the Lord. We are to stand firm in the Lord. We are to stand together united as one against the common enemy. The common enemy will be those who are opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are the ones we stand against and we stand together. So standing firm involves standing as one as believers and secondly standing against those who oppose the message of the good news of Jesus Christ. Now Paul in Verse 2 turns his attention to a specific situation and it’s interesting to look and see how specific Paul can be. Here from imprisonment in Rome he writes a letter to the church at Philippi in Macedonia and is going to zero on a specific problem situation in that church. Remember throughout this letter Paul has woven the theme of joy as believers with the theme of unity as believers. The oneness that we have in Christ is to be expressed in our relationship with one another. There is a problem at the church at Philippi. This unity is not being expressed as it ought to be. There are two individuals who are at odds with one another and Paul names these two individuals and draws them to the attention of the congregation, and I think we have a pattern here of how we are to deal with problems and conflicts within the church as it often happens.

We have individuals who are in conflict with one another in the body and the tendency is to rally around the one that we agree with most or the one that appeals to us the most or the one that is our closest friend and what that does is it accentuates the conflict and the conflict builds because each side is drawing more and more in to their position and soon the church is taken up in a battle and a conflict. When Paul comes to deal with it, the church is to channel its energy into resolving and dissolving the conflict and Paul has no qualms and no questions about calling the people who are responsible by name and saying the church has to help them. You note how verse 2 begins I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Two women who had been used by God in the ministry at Philippi now had come into disagreement and their personal disagreement was affecting the testimony and ministry of the church at Philippi and so it has to be dealt with.

Let’s have a word of prayer and then we will look at the detail. Father, how we praise you this morning for the truth of your word. Father, for its clarity, for its directness; we consider this area of conflict and the resolution of conflict among believers. Lord, make us sensitive personally that we might handle these situations in this local congregation in a way that honors and exalts Jesus Christ. Lord we pray in his name, amen.

You know there is something that brings you alive when you get into a situation like this. Perhaps it’s the flesh that is always ready to hear something about someone else and even as I study and prepare and I come to Euodia and Syntyche two people named by names and their problem brought to the attention of the whole congregation your ears perk up, what is happening here? It is a serious situation. Let me say something Euodia and Syntyche are ladies. I say this because there has been various discussions about their identity. Someone would make this the Philippian jailer and his wife. There have been some other strange and wonderful explanations. Down in verse 3 the words used to refer back in verse 3 I urge you also to help these women. It indicates that we are talking about two ladies here; you don’t have a husband and wife situation. He uses a strong word in speaking to them. When he says I urge the words that mean to exhort or to beg someone. It’s in effect saying please do this; there is strength, passion in what he is saying that’s important here.

So I urge Euodia, I urge Syntyche. You note he repeats that word urge with each name, handles it very carefully here but very directly. It doesn’t say I urge the two people having a problem to resolve it. He calls them by name. Now you think of it like this. If I went on an extended vacation, going to be gone for a number of months and along the way I heard that there was a conflict in Indian Hills between two members was affecting the ministry, so I wrote a letter back to this congregation that was going to be read on Sunday morning to everyone and in that letter I said I urge Don and I urge Dutch. That doesn’t have the same impact but if I say I urge Nick Former and I urge Dutch Rickley. Now I just pick those names out because I see them here. I don’t think they are having a conflict of course the Lord knows man it’s, no I am kidding. You see what happens when this would be read and the names come out from the congregation there is a directness about it.

So, Paul is careful here when I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche. He puts that word with both, that verb. There is a balance there so they realize that both are getting the same exhortation. So there is the directness but there is a balance. Paul is careful. When you get done studying this section you don’t know who is really at fault here if either one or both are equally responsible. You get no idea of that. You get no sense of whether Paul likes Euodia better than Syntyche or Syntyche better than Euodia. So even though he deals with directness by calling them by name, he deals with it very fairly and in a balanced way. Another thing you ought to notice the way that it is handled here indicates that there is a personal problem, not a doctrinal problem. Where doctrinal questions are the issue Paul deals with the doctrine. If there was a difference over doctrine then Paul could resolve the doctrinal conflict.

What we seem to have here is a personality conflict between two leading individuals and he says I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. That expression to live in harmony has been called to our attention before in Philippians. It literally reads to be of the same mind. I wish they had translated it that way. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind. I want them to think the same thing. This word to think is a favorite one. It is used at least ten times by Paul in the letter to the Philippians. Just back up into Chapter 2 where we see this expression that we are dealing with. Chapter 2 verse 2, make my joy complete. How? By being of the same mind. There is our expression, to have the same mind, to think the same thing. Down in verse 5, have this mind or this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus.

The point is believers are to think the same way, to have the same mind because all believers are to have the mind of Christ. So, that’s in fact what he said in verse 2 and he uses the same expression in Philippians 2 verse 2 as he does in Philippians 4 verse 2. I want Euodia and Syntyche to have the same mind. What kind of mind is that? The mind of Christ and that’s brought out when he says to live in harmony or have the same mind in the Lord. This is the sphere and realm of agreement that is crucial. The personal goal, desire, personal interests that we have to be subjected to that one overriding goal and purpose, to exalt Jesus Christ. So that’s what he is calling on them to do here. Have the mind of the Lord, function with the same mind in the Lord. Now does the Lord disagree with himself? Is the mind of Christ divided, then what is the problem?

Obviously someone does not have the mind of the Lord or both parties do not have the mind of the Lord. And when I say there is a personality conflict and that conflict continues, both parties are indicating that they are not manifesting the mind of the Lord. It is easy to think now if they would only change but you see if you have a personality clash then doctrine is not the issue. Then are we saying we will sacrifice the unity of the body, the testimony of the body, the mind of Christ for our personal preferences. So you may say well look if you analyze Paul makes no attempt here to pull together all the facts or list it to say here are the 13 things in Euodia’s favor, here are the 13 things that are favorable to Syntyche, no. What, that is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the conflict ought to be resolved and they ought to have the same mind in the Lord.

And I have to say is this a doctrinal issue. It is the personal work of Christ at stake here. No but my personal pride is but could my personal pride be sacrificed? Yes. But they always get their own way. So what? Does that mean I don’t have to have the mind of the Lord any longer? So, it’s important here that we have the same mind in the Lord. You see how back in Chapter 2 we study this and in the doctrinal area but he would come and you see he applied this specific situation. I am sure Euodia had abundant reasons why she thought she was right and Syntyche was wrong and vice versa. That’s not the issue. The issue is the manifestation of the mind of Christ in relationship.

Now what he does in verse 3 is interesting. He calls on the rest of the church to aid these two individuals in resolving their problem. So it’s not a matter that Euodia and Syntyche have to resolve it and battle it out. It is a matter that Euodia and Syntyche have to resolve it and the church has to come to their aid in resolving this problem. Note what he says in verse 3, indeed true comrade and the identity of this person is not certain. Some take the name the word comrade and make it a personal name so Syzygus is another name. So true Syzygus helped them and the person Syzygus was to give them aid. I prefer the translation we have in the New American Standard, true comrade. That word comrade comes from the yoke for oxen where you have the bar and the two loops and the oxen are to pull together in that. So there is true comrade, true yoke fellow, those yoked together as oxen as some translations have it. Who this is, we don’t know.

Perhaps it’s Epaphroditus who will bear the letter that Paul addresses him as the bearer of the letter to provide some initiative in helping resolve this conflict. At any rate this person addressed I ask you also to help these women, help these women, and again an important word help. It means to take hold together with someone. I ask you true comrades take hold together with these women. You note these women have to come to grips with the problem but the church is to help them do it. Other believers to join in helping them resolve the differences. Again often we aggravate the situation perhaps unintentionally sometimes by taking sides specially if it is a friend or someone I am close to. I need to be careful of that. It may be the natural tendency but it is not the biblical pattern to be followed and we aggravate it because I come to Euodia and I say yeah I see your point and Syntyche can really be an obnoxious person and I don’t think that she ought to always do this or that or have her way or whatever. What have I done? I am beginning to compound the problem because Syntyche’s friends are over here and there are agreeing with her. And you see what we are doing; we are drawing the church more and more into the conflict.

I mentioned the church I pastored while I was in seminary, terrible situation. You could tell who sat on which side. We had a center aisle. That’s why I praise the Lord I never want to go to the center aisle in any church I ever pastored again because it divided. And I could tell you anybody comes in and sits on this side is marked. You are a member of this family’s faction. And anybody who comes in and sits on this side is a member of this family, and this is terrible. And we didn’t have many visitors in those days. I would have never visited that place. But you know when we did you think o boy I wonder if they realize what they have done. They sat on this side. They have made a decision without realizing, a terrible situation. What happens, we aggravate that by joining in with it. We are to become part of it.

Now the other way we aggravate it is we pretend it is not there. It is unpleasant to have to confront this. You think there weren’t some tensed feelings in that congregation as Epaphroditus who ever read this read I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche. Imagine the hearts started beating there if they are called out loud. What do you do? Now you mature believers in the congregation help them out. Perhaps the Philippians were aggravating not by joining in but by trying to pretend it didn’t exist. Maybe it will go away. It doesn’t. So, we have to join in taking care of it. Just jot down Galatians Chapter 6 verse 1 where Paul writes, brethren if you see what someone overtaken in a fault you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. I take it we have two believers here taken in a fault. They are in conflict with one another which is in conflict with the revealed will of God and his word. The spiritual believers are to intervene and help resolve that conflict.

So true comrade, I ask you also to help these women. Now note what he says about these women. They are key important people in the battle for the gospel at Philippi. They have played an important role in Paul’s ministry at Philippi. He says help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel. That shared my struggle means the fight alongside someone, to contend with someone against the common enemy. Turn back to Chapter 1 verse 27, the same word was used. Chapter 1 verse 27 only conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or remain absent I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving together. There is our word, shared my struggle, striving together for the faith of the gospel. Now we have the same kind of context when we get to Chapter 4. You note the oneness here, standing firm. We had that in Philippians 4:1, in one spirit with one mind striving together.

Now Paul says these women fought alongside of me. They were in the battle at my side for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Always much more tragic when you have those who have been used in special and mighty ways of the Lord and they come into disagreement and perhaps it’s pride that had affected Euodia and Syntyche. That when you are used of the Lord and you see the reflects of the Lord using you, sometimes we forget it is the Lord working in us and become proud of what is happening. So we become confident that we are right and people ought to listen to us and you see you only have to have one person manifesting that and what do you have? You have conflict. But they had been used of God.

Come back to Philippians Chapter 4, with Paul they have shared my struggle; they have fought alongside of me in the battle for the gospel. And I just want to take a note here. Sometimes here rumors around that I am anti-women or that Indian Hills is against women. I want to say that I believe that women play a key part and the ministry of the word of God wherever it is effectively going on. I do not believe that it is a possibility for a church to have an effective ministry of the word without the involvement of spiritual women and spiritual men. I believe that’s the way God has planned his body. That’s the way God has purposed that the church functions. When he comes to the battle for the truth of the gospel we cannot measure the importance that women play. Its God’s intention that men and women together be joined the fight alongside of one another in the battle for the gospel. That’s what Paul was saying in Philippi.

Now when I say that that does not mean that we have the same responsibilities or do the same thing and as soon as we mark out that there are differences in our responsibilities in the battle, it is sometimes understood that we are saying some are important and some are not. And that is not the case. We are not told what Euodia and Syntyche did in the battle, but we are told that the part they played was significant and important in the battle that went on in Philippi. I think we need to be careful that there are distinctions between the responsibilities that God gives to men and women that is true in society generally, that’s true in the home and that’s true in the church but that does not mean that women are less important or more important neither one than men. Or that men are more important or less important than women. In the purpose and plan of God it is necessary that both function as God intends so that the battle for the truth of God can go on effectively.

I believe that’s why Satan is working so hard in the division of men and women in the world today, to set men and women in opposition to one another so that they develop the mentality that they are the enemies of one another because it means our society cannot function in an effective way. It means our homes are undermined as to effectiveness. It means the church is undermined as to its effectiveness of ministry because we begin to question one another; we begin to view one another as opponents. And I do not believe that the ministry at Indian Hills could go on in an effective way at all without the ministry of the women of this body. I do not believe that the women of this body are called to preach on Sunday morning but I believe that the women of this body are given important and effective ministry necessary for the battle that is going in the proclamations of the gospel in this place. I think it is crucial that men realize that women are a great cause of the problem.

Paul wrote much about the role of men and the role of women in the Scripture but he never lost sight of the importance of each. Some men hear teaching about the role of men and the role of women and they lose sight of the importance of the women in their home, in the church and in every other way that the spiritual problem that the men have that they have to resolve and come to grips with. Paul here realizes the crucial part that they play and really believe that were not for the women of this body functioning as God intended them to that this work would collapse in upon itself. I believe the same thing is true for the men of the body. I believe the only way we can have an effective ministry is as the men and women of this body function in the way that God intends for them, fighting side by side joined together in the battle for the truth of the word of God. That’s what Paul is talking about here.

Okay verse 3 moves on, joined it Clement the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. I think it is interesting. Paul has called on his true comrade whoever that might be. Now he calls on Clement, now he calls on the rest of the fellow workers. They are all joined in this battle and struggle and they are all to join together in helping resolve this conflict. They see if the church really functioned biblically, how many of these conflicts would be resolved early. Situation I mentioned in my former pastorate. I sat down with some of these in the conflict on the board since the whole church was in the conflict I guess I should say everybody that was on the board was in the conflict as well. And you should see the conflicts we had in our board meetings. You know what they told me don’t have any hope of resolving this. At that time which was 15-18 years ago, 15 years ago I guess. They said it had gone on for 38 years. Now they could even tell me that. 38 years we have had this conflict, don’t you think you are resolving it in two or three.

Now how do conflicts go on that long? The church doesn’t mobilize itself to resolve the conflict. So what have they done? The church had no ministry, no impact and no testimony. So we sacrifice the testimony of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the word for conflict. The church is mobilized here. You know what he says about these workers their names are in the book of life. He doesn’t name everyone. He doesn’t record their names but in effect says God has recorded their names. I take it the book of life is God’s register in heaven. The heavenly record that has the name of every child of God recorded that it helps put things in perspective as well. If your name is in God’s record, my name is in God’s record that binds and joins us together. We have a common purpose and a common destiny so it would be who is us to resolve any conflicts and difficulty.

Just turn over to the book of Revelation for this book of life, some interesting things about it. We don’t have time to develop the doctrine that is unfolded around this but just let me a couple of passages. Revelation 13:8, and all who dwell on the earth will worship him. Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. You note there is the book of life of the Lamb, the Lamb’s book of life, Jesus Christ being the Lamb. It is the record of all those who belong to him and you ought to note here that the names are in there from the foundations of the world. Look over in Revelation Chapter 17 verse 8, the beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction and those who dwell on the earth will wonder whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.

Now the context in Revelation, as many of you are familiar, is the great tribulation on the earth talking about the beast, the world ruler and also the empire that he will rule over. But the people that are amazed on the earth are the non-elect, those who are not the children of God and that’s the description in verse 8, those who dwell on the earth will wonder whose name has not been written in the book of life. There is the book of life that we are talking about, where the names are written from the foundation of the world. I have a book coming out in the next couple of weeks on the doctrine of election so some of you may want to read because of the questions that will be raised with this. My understanding is that God has chosen from before the foundation of the world, for salvation, certain ones. Those names have been inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life before Genesis 1:1. How long before that we have no way of measuring but when you read Genesis 1:1 when the foundations of the world are laid down my name was already in the book of life.

Now what that means is that in God’s appointed time I would hear the gospel and through the ministry of the Spirit of God come to believe that Jesus Christ the son of God died for me. Now everyone who is a child of God has his name inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life. Look over in Revelation Chapter 20 verse 12, and I saw the dead; here you are at the great white throne judgment, the final judgment of mankind, when all unbelievers are called to stand before Jesus Christ for all humanity will stand in the presence of Jesus Christ for judgment. John Chapter 5 makes this clear. The father has given all judgment into the hands of the son. We look and study earlier on the beam of seat of Christ where we as believers in Jesus Christ will stand to be rewarded for faithfulness of service. That’s when we get our Stephanos crown. At the great white throne in Revelation Chapter 20 you have all humanity who have not come believe in God’s salvation stand for judgment before Jesus Christ. So saved and unsaved alike will have their judgment in the presence of Christ.

It is called a great white throne because of verse 11; I saw a great white throne. Verse 12, and I saw the dead the great and the small standing before the throne. The books were open and another book was open which is the book of life. So you have two books here, two sets of books if you will. You have the books that will contain all the works that people have done. The dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds or their works. Note that there is two sets of books if you will. There are the books that contain all of the works that the unbelievers had ever done. There is also the book of life which contains the names of all those who are believers in Jesus Christ the salvation God has provided.

Now the unbelievers are judged on the basis of their works. You say I knew it, so God’s going to put in the scale and when I stand there he is going to put my good deeds and my bad deeds and if the scale tilts to the good I get in; if it tilts to the bad I am out. No, because note verse 15. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire. You know the books of our works have nothing to do with getting us into heaven because there are the books that contain all your works and there is the book of life. And anyone whose name is not in the book of life is going to hell. So then why do you have the book of works? I believe that it is a possibility for a church to have an effective ministry of the word without the involvements of spiritual women and spiritual men.

I believe that’s the way God has planned his body. I believe that’s the way God has purposed that the church functions. When it comes to the battle for the truth of the gospel we cannot measure the importance that women play. It is God’s intention that men and women together be joined the fight alongside of one another in the battle for the gospel. That’s what Paul was saying in Philippi. Now when I say that that does not mean that we have the same responsibilities or do the same thing and as soon as we mark out that there are differences in our responsibilities in the battle it is sometimes understood that we are saying some are important and some are not, and that is not the case. We are not told what Euodia and Syntyche did in the battle but we are told that the part they played was significant and important in the battle that went on at Philippi.

I think we need to be careful that there are distinctions between the responsibilities that God gives to men and women that’s true in society generally, that’s true in the home and that is true in the church. But that does not mean that women are less important or more important neither one than men. Or that men are more important or less important than women in the purpose and plan of God it is necessary that both function as God intends so that the battle for the truth of God can go on effectively. I believe that’s why Satan is working so hard in the division of men and women in the world today, to set men and women in opposition to one another so that they develop the mentality that they are the enemies of one another. Because it means our society cannot function in an effective way. It means our homes are undermined as to effectiveness. It means the church is undermined as to its effectiveness of ministry because we begin to question one another.

We begin to view one another as opponents, and I do not believe that the ministry at Indian Hills could go in at all without the ministry of the women of this body. I do not believe that the women of this body are called to preach on Sunday morning but I believe that the women of this body are given important and effective ministry necessary for the battle that is going in the proclamations of the gospel in this place. I think it is crucial that men realize that women are a great cause of the problem.

Paul wrote much about the role of men and the role of women in the Scripture but he never lost sight of the importance of each. Some men hear teaching about the role of men and the role of women and they lose sight of the importance of the women in their home, in the church and in every other way that the spiritual problem that the men have that they have to resolve and come to grips with. Paul here realizes the crucial part that they play and really believe that were not for the women of this body functioning as God intended them to that this work would collapse in upon itself. I believe the same thing is true for the men of the body. I believe the only way we can have an effective ministry is as the men and women of this body function in the way that God intends for them, fighting side by side joined together in the battle for the truth of the word of God. That’s what Paul is talking about here.

Okay verse 3 it moves on, joined it Clement the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. I think it is interesting. Paul has called on his true comrade whoever that might be. Now he calls on Clement, now he calls on the rest of the fellow workers. They are all joined in this battle and struggle and they are all to join together in helping resolve this conflict. Now you see if the church really functioned biblically, how many of these conflicts would be resolved early. Situation I mentioned in my former pastorate. I sat down with some of these men in the conflict who are on the board. Since the whole church was in the conflict I guess I should say everybody that was on the board was in the conflict as well. And you should see the conflicts we had in our board meetings. You know what they told me don’t have any hope of resolving this. At that time which was 15-18 years ago, 15 years ago I guess. They said it had gone on for 38 years. Now they could even tell me that. 38 years we have had this conflict, don’t you think you are resolving it in two or three.

Now how do conflicts go on that long? The church doesn’t mobilize itself to resolve the conflict. So what have they done? The church had no ministry, no impact and no testimony. So we sacrifice the testimony of Jesus Christ and the ministry of the word for conflict. The church is mobilized here. You note what he says about these workers their names are in the book of life. He doesn’t name everyone. He doesn’t record their names, but in effect says God has recorded their names. I take it the book of life is God’s register in heaven. The heavenly record that has the name of every child of God recorded that it helps put things in perspective as well. If your name is in God’s record, my name is in God’s record that binds and joins us together. We have a common purpose and a common destiny so it would be who is us to resolve any conflicts and difficulty.

Just turn over to the book of Revelation for this book of life, some interesting things about it. We don’t have time to develop the doctrine that is unfolded around this but just let me a couple of passages. Revelation 13:8, and all who dwell on the earth will worship him. Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. You note there is the book of life of the Lamb, the Lamb’s book of life, Jesus Christ being the Lamb. It is the record of all those who belong to him and you ought to note here that the names are in there from the foundations of the world. Look over in Revelation Chapter 17 verse 8, the beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction and those who dwell on the earth will wonder whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.

Now the context in Revelation, as many of you are familiar, is the great tribulation on the earth talking about the beast, the world ruler and also the empire that he will rule over. But the people that are amazed on the earth are the non-elect, those who are not the children of God and that’s the description in verse 8, those who dwell on the earth will wonder whose name has not been written in the book of life. There is the book of life that we are talking about, where the names are written from the foundation of the world. I have a book coming out in the next couple of weeks on the doctrine of election so some of you may want to read because of the questions that will be raised with this. My understanding is that God has chosen from before the foundation of the world, for salvation, certain ones. Those names have been inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life before Genesis 1:1. How long before that we have no way of measuring but when you read Genesis 1:1 when the foundations of the world are laid down my name was already in the book of life.

Now what that means is that in God’s appointed time I would hear the gospel and through the ministry of the Spirit of God come to believe that Jesus Christ the son of God died for me. Now everyone who is a child of God has his name inscribed in the Lamb’s book of life. Look over in Revelation Chapter 20 verse 12, and I saw the dead; here you are at the great white throne judgment, the final judgment of mankind, when all unbelievers are called to stand before Jesus Christ for all humanity will stand in the presence of Jesus Christ for judgment. John Chapter 5 makes this clear. The father has given all judgment into the hands of the son. We look and study earlier on the beam of seat of Christ where we as believers in Jesus Christ will stand to be rewarded for faithfulness of service. That’s when we get our Stephanos crown. At the great white throne in Revelation Chapter 20 you have all humanity who have not come believe in God’s salvation stand for judgment before Jesus Christ. So saved and unsaved alike will have their judgment in the presence of Christ.

It is called a great white throne because of verse 11; I saw a great white throne. Verse 12, and I saw the dead the great and the small standing before the throne. The books were open and another book was open which is the book of life. So you have two books here, two sets of books if you will. You have the books that will contain all the works that people have done. The dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds or their works. Note that there is two sets of books if you will. There are the books that contain all of the works that the unbelievers had ever done. There is also the book of life which contains the names of all those who are believers in Jesus Christ the salvation God has provided.

Now the unbelievers are judged on the basis of their works. You say I knew it, so God’s going to put in on the scale and when I stand there he is going to put my good deeds and my bad deeds and if the scale tilts to the good I get in, if it tilts to the bad I am out. No, because note verse 15. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire. You know the books of our works have nothing to do with getting us into heaven because there are the books that contain all your works and there is the book of life. And anyone whose name is not in the book of life is going to hell. So then why do you have the book of works? I take it just as there are rewards to be meted out for believers at the beam of seat of Christ so there will be degrees of punishment and judgment at the great white throne that our works will be important and the works of the unbeliever will be important.

Those who have sat in this auditorium and heard the gospel of Jesus Christ will be judged with a more severe punishment than those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. So the books are there. So your works reveal your character but no one is going to heaven on the basis that which is written in the works because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Not possible; one of the passage on the book of life and this doesn’t exhaust them but some of the basic ones. Over in Chapter 21 verse 27, first Chapter 21 has been giving a description of the new Jerusalem the residence for believers God’s children in eternity and down to verse 27, nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying shall ever come into it but only those who have done enough good works, no, only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

That’s amazing. In and out of the New Jerusalem in eternity, the only ones going in and out are those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life. Those who have come to believe in God’s salvation in Jesus Christ and earlier in Revelation in the letters to the churches I believe in Chapter 3 Jesus gives a promise that he will never erase our names out of the book of life. So if you are going to do a study on that Revelation 3:5, he who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments and I will not erase his name from the book of life. I take it that is a promise that those whose names are in the book of life are never erased. When God’s sovereign at least selected me for salvation that guaranteed my salvation for eternity. Now he also works out the process through the hearing of the truth and the ministry of the Spirit in my life I will believe but it’s those whose names are in the book of life.

Come back to Philippians Chapter 4, what’s he doing, he is reminding them that all our joined in the book of life. So he is giving just a few names here Euodia and Syntyche, Clements and all the rest whom he hasn’t named. But their names are in the book of life, that’s what’s important about a person. Not their prominence, not the visibility Paul gives them but their relationship to the book of life. And you will know your name is on the book of life if you come to believe in Jesus Christ as a personal savior. Secondly, those whose names are in the book of life are to be joined in resolving the conflict. May I ask you do you know people who have a problem in this body? Do you know who have personal problems with one another, personal problem with one believer with another believer? How do you see yourself in and say I try to avoid it like a plague? Note what Philippians say, you are to become involved in resolving. You say maybe they won’t like that. Well, maybe Euodia and Syntyche won’t like Paul’s interference either.

That’s not one of the choices. It is not one of the options that I become a divisive element in the body of Jesus Christ. Remember the Book of Romans says that you keep your eye on those who cause divisions and have nothing to do with it. Now you disassociate yourself there as in the doctrinal context. Within the body, those are the only two choices. You cut yourself off from them that would involve discipline. When you involve yourself and the order is reversed that I have given them. First you involve yourself to try to resolve it; if it is irresolvable it becomes a disciplinary matter. Paul is confident here that these two women do have a desire to serve Jesus Christ. They have just gotten caught up in some wrong things in their own relationship together. So if you know someone in the body someone has a conflict with, you are to approach them, say I know that you are antagonized by so and so. I know that you have a disagreement with so and so. I would like to help you resolve that. I would like to sit down with you both and see if we could work it out together as believers.

They say I don’t want help. Then you need to bring in some other believers to help. Now Paul you know there is going to be tremendous pressure on Euodia and Syntyche because the whole church now has turned its attention on resolving that conflict. There is no way that it is allowed to continue. You know I think there is something sad here that one commentator noted that stuck with me, and that is here are your two women, two individuals servants of Jesus Christ who have fought in the battle for the gospel together but you know what they are remembered for? Quarrelling, fighting with one another, that’s too bad. The life of testimony, a life of ministry pales into the background. And what do you think of when you think of Euodia and Syntyche you think of a quarrel and a battle in the church. This one particular commentator asked the question, suppose your life were to be summed up in one sentence what would it be? If you were to be noted for one thing in the church what would it be?

Now that’s interesting. How would people see me? What would I be remembered for? What would you be remembered for? You say oh I remember that when I was involved in this, this evangelistic thrust, this ministry of the word and that’s wonderful. You know so often the case sin in one area can cloud over and distort the whole picture of a life. How many servants of Jesus Christ have had their life and testimony ruined reading this past week the life of a well known man that you would know. He lived in the last century and was a very successful businessman. Mighty in the Scriptures, mightily used of the Lord and later in his life he got involved in a situation and the one thing that stands out above all else as I think of that man is this sin, tragic. I wonder in the church when we evaluate one another what do you think people would say about you? If they had to write down what you were, how your life ought to be summed up simply, grouch, grump, murmur, complainer, critic, battler. What terrible things to be said about us, yet we failed to realize one side wanted to talk about how faithful we want to be to the word, how we want to be used of the Lord, how we want the word to be used in our life and through our life and the lives of others and at the same time we are complaining about someone. We are murmuring about someone. We are undermining someone and we don’t realize. You know what is written over our lives, quarrels, division, critical, grumbler, never happy, what a testimony? Is that a true reflection of the character of Christ? I wonder how we are going to sum up Jesus Christ’s life in one statement. Do you think we could say murmur, grumbler? You would say it is almost blasphemy to suggest such a thing.

Well, how could it be that we who are the people of God who are to be the manifestation of the character of God should be described in such a way? What a tragedy, am I not to be manifesting the character of Christ? Is not the beauty of his character that is to be seen in me and yet someone can label me quarrelsome? What does that say? It says all this body doesn’t appreciate me. No, it says that I have not been submissive to the Spirit to allow him to produce the beauty of the character of Christ as he should and we begin to see the importance of a church mobilizing its resources and its energies to resolve this conflict. Less the church at Philippi known as the quarrelsome church rather than the church that manifest the character of Christ.

Let’s pray together. Father, such simple and basic truth yet how easy it is for us to overlook them. Father, how the pressure from the flesh pulls and tugs to draw into those things which are detrimental and unhealthy for us as believers. Thank you father for the directness of the apostle Paul, the way the Spirit worked in and through him in confronting this situation at Philippi. Lord, pray that we might take the truth here to heart that we might see the importance of dealing with conflict in our body among ourselves in a biblical way that honors you. Lord, pray that we might see our responsibilities as members of the body to deal with our own personal areas of disagreement, then also to be open to be used of the Spirit of God in such a way in other people’s lives as well. Lord, keep before us how privilege we are to manifest the beautiful character of Jesus Christ. God forbid that our lives should be characterized by expressions or words, which reveal the fact that his character being stifled. Lord, may the beauty of his character be seen in us individually and us as a congregation that the Spirit might use us to exalt him. Lord, we pray in His name, amen.