Scripture referenced 9 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Psalm 103 quoted at the opening as a call to worship, praising the Lord with one's whole soul
1 Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, praise his holy name!
2 Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don’t forget all his benefits;
3 who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases;
4 who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies;
5 who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.
8 Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
9 He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.
17 But Yahweh’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children;
18 to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts.
19 Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.
21 Praise Yahweh, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure.
22 Praise Yahweh, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise Yahweh, my soul!
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Keep this verse
Hebrews 10:23
quoted as an encouragement to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, because he who promised is faithful
23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful.
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Matthew 4:4
quoted after the shared meal to remind the group that people do not live by bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God
4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
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Philippians 4:2-9
the main text of the sermon, covering instructions for settling disagreements and the resulting peace of God
2 I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord.
3 Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they labored with me in the Good News, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.
9 The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
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Matthew 6
abbreviated quote from Jesus asking whether worry can add a single moment to your life
1 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does,
4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5 “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
8 Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him.
9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward.
17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face;
18 so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
25 Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
27 “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,
29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
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John 14:27
quoted to show that Jesus leaves his followers a gift of peace that the world cannot give, telling them not to be troubled or afraid
27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
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James 1:19
referenced as a favorite verse at First B, be quick to listen and slow to speak
19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
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Philippians 4:13
noted briefly as the verse about doing all things through Christ who strengthens us, applied to the instructions listed earlier
13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
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Colossians 3
briefly referenced in contrast to Philippians 4, as the passage about putting on good things and taking off others
1 If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;
6 for which things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.
7 You also once walked in those, when you lived in them;
8 but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.
9 Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings,
10 and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator,
11 where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
14 Above all these things, walk in love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.
17 Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.
18 Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives, and don’t be bitter against them.
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.
22 Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.
23 And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he who does wrong will receive again for the wrong that he has done, and there is no partiality.
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Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
Pastor Carl walked the group through Philippians 4:2-9, a passage he described as great relationship wisdom for anyone dealing with conflict. The setting was a Wednesday evening gathering around tables at First Baptist Jackson, following a shared meal. He framed the text around a simple structure: the instructions Paul gives, and the results that follow when those instructions are actually carried out.
What was said
Paul opens the passage by naming two women in the Philippian church, Euodia and Syntyche, who are in a disagreement. Pastor Carl noted that we do not know what the dispute was about and do not need to. What matters is that Paul does not ignore it. He names it, addresses it, and asks a trusted partner to help them work through it. That, Pastor Carl said, is the loving thing to do in a church community.
The first instruction Paul gives is to rejoice. Pastor Carl pointed out that the word "joy" keeps returning throughout Philippians, and here it carries the idea of recognizing and delighting in God's favor, favor none of us deserve. His reading was that Paul leads with this because when you are genuinely aware of the grace God has extended to you, it becomes easier to extend that same grace to someone you are in conflict with.
The next instruction is to be considerate. Looking at the word more closely, Pastor Carl described it as a generous spirit that rises above offenses, one that takes the high road. He suggested that in any conflict, a worthwhile question to ask is simply whether you are actually being considerate in that sense.
From there Paul moves to worry and prayer. Pastor Carl read a poem that Ray's family keeps on their fridge, contrasting what worry does to a person with what prayer does. He acknowledged that the default for most people is to worry first and pray later, and said Paul is asking us to reverse that: pray first, right when the worry surfaces. He tied this to thankfulness as well, noting that studies consistently show grateful people are happier, and that being thankful for what God has done makes it easier to extend grace to others.
The result of carrying out these instructions, as verse 7 states, is that you experience God's peace, described as a peace that exceeds anything we can understand, a peace that guards your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Pastor Carl paused on the word "guard" and asked what exactly hearts and minds need guarding from in a conflict. The group named anger, self-righteousness, pride, impatience, bitterness, resentment and revenge. He connected this to Jesus' words in John, where Jesus says the peace He gives is a different kind from what the world offers, and that it comes as a gift.
Verse 8 adds a further instruction: fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise. Pastor Carl brought each of these back into the context of a real disagreement. What is actually true here, not assumed? What would both parties recognize as the honorable thing? What does God say is right, not just what feels right to you? What would be pleasing and acceptable to say to the other person? He treated this list not as abstract virtues but as practical questions to ask in the middle of a conflict.
The conversation that followed among the group picked up several of these threads. One member noted that in his NIV translation the word is "gentleness" rather than "considerate," and said he found that significant since Paul is not calling for displays of righteousness or judgment but for gentleness. Another member observed that Paul, even while calling Euodia and Syntyche out by name, is already practicing verse 8 himself by focusing on what is praiseworthy about them, their partnership in the gospel, rather than dwelling on the disagreement. A third member spoke honestly about how hard it is to apply these things when the other people involved are not guided by scripture, and said his practice has been to respond to heated messages with just one or two sentences, keeping things calm so the other person can see something different in him.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Paul asks a 'true partner' to step in and help Euodia and Syntyche work through their disagreement. What does it look like, practically, to be that kind of person for someone in a conflict, and what makes it hard to fill that role?
- Carl described 'considerate' as a generous spirit that rises above offenses. Can you think of a time when someone showed you that kind of generosity, or when you were able to show it to someone else? What made it possible?
and 3 more questions in the guide
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