Philippians 4:2-9
In my house we love eggs. We go through 30 of these a week, and most of those are eaten. Most of them. Eggs are fragile, but my kids love helping in the kitchen. So when a recipe calls for two eggs, we grab three, because we know one of those eggs won’t make it to the bowl. These things are life-giving when they’re protected, but they make a slimy mess when they break. They’re a lot like peace in a community. A peace-filled church is life-giving. People thrive when they’re in a peaceful setting, when they aren’t weighed down by conflicts or concerns. But peace is also fragile, and has to be handled with care. But when the peace is broken, it makes a mess that isn’t easy to clean up.
Paul is telling us in Philippians 4 that peace is like that. Peace is fragile. It needs protecting. We have to handle it with care. If we’re careless with it, it can be broken. But if we guard it carefully, peace becomes a life-giving gift in Christ. So today we’re going to see that Life in Christ is peace-seeking, and disciples of Christ pursue peace wherever they go.
That wasn’t an easy thing for the church in Philippi. It wasn’t just another city in Macedonia. It was a Roman colony — which meant it was like a little Rome. Twice in its history, Rome had resettled retired soldiers there. These veterans were given land, farms, and homes. In return, the city gave Rome what it wanted most: unquestioning loyalty. Philippi was proud to be Roman. Its people were deeply tied to Rome’s culture, values, and politics. They walked the streets as citizens of Rome, enjoying its privileges, but also expected to show their allegiance. To Caesar above all.
That’s the background for Paul’s challenge to live as citizens worthy of the gospel of Christ. The Philippians understood citizenship. They also knew Rome’s peace – Pax Romana – a peace that came through power and control. The Roman soldiers walking the streets were a menacing reminder of how brutal this peace could be. But Paul spoke of a better peace. A lasting peace. A peace that doesn’t come from Caesar’s throne but from Christ’s cross. And so in Philippians 4, Paul shows this church how to foster that peace.
And it starts at home. Our passage opens in verse 2: I urge Euodia, and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers whose names are in the book of life.
We don’t know anything more about this conflict than what’s said here. These two women both loved Jesus, and helped build this church alongside Paul. They weren’t outsiders. They weren’t troublemakers. They were faithful gospel workers who had gotten tangled up in conflict.
It’s unusual for Paul to address people by name in this way. Normally he talks about issues in general terms, but here he calls them out directly. Why? Because their conflict wasn’t private anymore. It was affecting the church, maybe dividing people, maybe distracting from the mission. So Paul goes straight to the point. But notice how he handles it. He doesn’t take sides. He doesn’t shame them. He doesn’t diminish their worth. In fact, he highlights their importance: “they contended for the gospel at my side.” He values them. He affirms their faith. Their names are “in the book of life.” These aren’t enemies – they are sisters.
And then he gives the solution: “agree in the Lord.” That little phrase is important. In Philippians, “in the Lord” shows up again and again. It’s Paul’s way of saying: “Remember where your identity is rooted. Remember where your unity comes from. Remember who holds you together.” It’s not about ignoring differences. It’s not about pretending conflict doesn’t exist. It’s about choosing Christ as the foundation of our unity.
When we agree “in the Lord,” we’re not relying on our own strength to reconcile. We’re tapping into the Spirit of Christ, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. Those Romans could maintain order and enforce obedience, but even they couldn’t instil the kind of life-giving peace that Christ gives. As Christians, we have access to the same Spirit, who has more power to bring peace than Rome could ever dream of. This means reconciliation, humility, and forgiveness aren’t just possible—they’re the natural next step when we lay our pride down and seek Christ.
They’re also expected. Reconciliation may be a stretch for a non-believer; but it’s a basic requirement for following Jesus. We need to forgive others and work towards reconciliation so that we too can be forgiven and reconciled to God. We cannot have one without the other. How many of you have the Lord’s Prayer memorized? Now how many know the verse that immediately follows it? Immediately following the line “deliver us from the evil one”, Jesus says, in Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive others their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offences.” That’s a heavy verse. Let that sink in. It’s not that your salvation is conditioned on forgiveness. It comes through faith. But if you choose to harbour resentment, or you choose to refuse forgiveness, you are choosing evil instead of Christ. And that path leads you away from Jesus, away from salvation. It might not happen immediately, but one day you will look up and realize you have wandered from your Saviour, because you have chosen sin instead.
But the amazing thing about grace, is that no matter how far you have walked away from Jesus, it only takes one step to return. All you have to do is repent, turn around, and start following him again. That means choosing forgiveness, choosing reconciliation, and choosing peace. Disciples of Jesus seek peace in conflict. If you are in a similar situation to Euodia and Syntyche, then your application for today is to take a step towards peace. Pray for the other person, reach out, whatever you need to do. Protect the peace in our community so that we can stand firm, by one Spirit, with one purpose. When we protect peace it’s life-giving, but when we break it, it’s hard to contain the spread. So seek peace in your relationships with each other.
This passage is concerned with more than just peace between people. It also talks about inner peace. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Paul shifts from relationships to anxieties. And remember — the Philippians weren’t just worried about everyday life. They were under pressure. They were following Jesus when their neighbours thought they should worship Caesar. They were facing exclusion, even persecution. Paul’s command isn’t, “Don’t worry.”, as if we could control that. Our moods come and go, and sometimes the way we feel is completely out of our control. Instead, he says, “don’t be consumed by it.” Don’t let anxiety have the final word. Don’t focus on your fears; instead, turn to faith. Why? “The Lord is near.” That changes everything. God isn’t far away. He is present now, and He is coming soon.
To combat anxiety, Paul gives them a spiritual practice: prayer. Pray about everything. Everything in your life is significant in God’s eyes. He loves you, more than you could imagine. So bring it all before God. Requests. Praises. Worries. Gratitude. All of it. And don’t just do it once. Persevere in prayer. God knows what you need before you ask him, but he still wants you to ask. That’s because asking changes us. Prayer aligns us with God’s will, it doesn’t bend God to ours. I don’t want God to give me everything I pray for. I don’t want the best life that I can imagine. I want the best life that God has planned for me. That’s what Paul is saying here: bring your requests to God, and leave them with God. And that’s when this inexplicable peace sets in. Because then you realize that God’s way is the best way, and that’s the way I want to go.
That word “guard” is military language. Think of Philippi, filled with Roman soldiers. Paul flips the picture: the true guard is not Caesar’s army, but the peace of God, standing watch over your heart and mind as you trust him with your life. So what anxieties are you carrying now? Family, finances, future? Instead of letting them crush you, bring them to God. Disciples of Jesus seek peace through prayer.
Fragile as they may be, eggs are actually incredibly strong top to bottom. This is how we can stack them at the grocery store. They can hold a lot of pressure, if they’re in the right position. In the same way, a disciple in a posture of prayer can withstand immense pressures all around them, but still have peace in their heart.
Having addressed peace in our relationships, and peace in our anxieties, Paul now shifts to peace with the culture around us. 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. Whatever you have learned or received from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Here Paul broadens the scope. Peace isn’t just about relationships inside the church, or about our personal anxieties. It’s also about how we engage with the world around us. Philippi was saturated with Roman culture. Statues of Caesar. Roman festivals. Roman values. The Philippians needed advice on how to maintain peace with the culture around them. It’s similar for us today. We live in a culture that once knew the influence of Christianity, but now often ignores or even opposes it. It’s tempting to do the same in return. Like rejecting anything not explicitly Christian. Media, books, ideas, politics. We could refuse to listen to others who are different from us. But then we would just grow farther and farther apart, and out of touch with each other. That leads to the divisive and angry world we have right now. But Paul doesn’t tell us to shut our eyes and block it all out. Instead, he gives us a filter. Whatever is true. Noble. Right. Pure. Lovely. Admirable. Excellent. Praiseworthy. Think about these things. Find these things in the culture around you.
Not everything outside the church is evil. There are truths, beauties, and virtues in a non-Christian culture. But we need discernment. We need to filter. Many messages poison peace. But what is true and good reinforces peace. This is why the story of a hero sacrificing themselves for others is so compelling; it ties into God’s rescue plan for creation. Regardless of what our culture says, Scripture is our guide to what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. That’s why Paul tells them to put into practice what they have learned and seen from him. That’s discipleship. The gospel isn’t a set of ideas to think about, but a way of life to imitate. And as we imitate the life of Christ, shown to us in the gospels and molded for us by Paul and others, the peace of God will be with us.
So the messages that you are consuming, through media, entertainment, or news, how does that fair against this filter God gives us? Does it draw you closer to God, or does it drive you to division? Does it bring peace, or does it stir anxiety?
Naturally, peace is very fragile. It’s hard to make and easy to break. Like an egg. But peace is the most natural thing for God. Which means it’s natural for his people as well. Let’s be a community that seeks peace in conflict, in anxiety, and in our culture, so that when we’re under pressure we don’t crack, but stand firm, united, as citizens of heaven.