His Nearness Changes Everything
October 12, 2025
Preached by Benjamin Vrbicek
Scripture Reading
Philippians 4:2-9
2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement 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 reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication 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 minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
God commands us in this passage to not be anxious about anything. The funny thing is that the human heart is so convoluted and confounding that it’s possible to be anxious about everything. It’s even possible to be anxious about preaching a sermon about not being anxious. We are strange and convoluted creatures. It’s good that God loves us so much. So, as we begin, we should once again do what the passage also tells us to do: to pray and let requests be made known to God. Join me, would you, as we ask God for help.
“Dear Heavenly Father . . .”
This passage surfaces several themes. The endings of Paul’s letters often do that. But if you look at v. 5, I believe here we see the key phrase that brings all the themes together: “The Lord is at hand,” Paul writes. Other versions translate the phrase at hand as near. They say, “The Lord is near.” And that makes sense, doesn’t it? We could speak of our cell phone being at hand and mean that our cell phone is near. You could tell a friend, “Hey, I’m going on a long bike ride, so keep your cell phone at hand.” Or you could say, “Hey, my wife could go in labor at anytime, so I’m keeping my cellphone near.” Paul makes the point that the Lord’s nearness, his “at handness,” changes everything.
As I thought about this, I thought how, if I were on an airplane, that if someone really important sat next to me, that would change the plane ride. Let’s say, I’m flying to Orlando for some reason, and then…
…Illustration: Airplane seats with a President…
…But my point is simply that their presence on the same plane, would change everything. If I live 40 more years, I’ll be telling the story of the day President Bush fought me for the armrest.
…The things we disagree on… The things I’m fascinated by (finding bin Laden or the “President’s Daily Brief”)
…Paul’s not talking about the nearness of a President or someone else important. But the Lord. He’s nearer than your cellphone, even when your cellphone is in your pocket.
…But often we forget that, don’t we? Without a vibrant sense of the nearness of the Lord, 1) we’ll drift toward divisions, 2) we’ll drift toward anxiety, and
3) we drift toward dwelling on what’s wrong with the world. If I were to phrase it in modern terms, we could probably say that without the presence of the Lord, our minds and hearts drift toward doomscrolling (EXPLAIN…).
Let’s look at this passage in three sections, looking at each of the paragraphs.
1. The Lord’s nearness means we are agreeing people, rather than dividing people
If you had been in their church hearing this letter from Paul, I’m sure you would have found everything riveting. God is speaking to them through the words of his authorized Apostle, just as Jesus promised would happen. I’m sure they were listening closely.
But if anyone had zoned out, what Paul says next would have surely pulled them back in. Let me read vv. 2–3 again. The Lord’s nearness means we are agreeing people.
2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
I don’t believe Paul is shaming these two leaders by specifically calling attention to them. I suspect everyone knew about it, and maybe they even asked Paul for help. There’s a lot we don’t know about these women and their conflict. This is all we have. But we should note a few things…
…Paul is not content to leave theology in the clouds. Surely each of them would have “Amen” to everything that’s come before (cf. 2:2).
…I say that because they were gospel-contending women… “help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel” and “whose names are in the book of life.” He believes they are saved.
// Side note: women mattered then and now… Jesus, Paul, early church… Lydia was a founding member!
…Notes the repetition of the “I exhort” to both people, which implies evenhandedness. He’s not taking sides. He’s asking both to do their part. They used to be side by side with him in the gospel, but now they sit on other sides of the sanctuary. Now, one goes to the first service and the other to the second service.
…The problem is so bad that they aren’t even talking to each other, which is why they need a third-party to help mediate, which maybe you need too.
…Paul certainly knows about conflict. Every letter addresses it, including probably 1 Corinthians, which had recently been written and which has in chapter 6 the section about lawsuits. Also there was Paul and Barnabas and their “sharp disagreement” (Acts 15:39).
…You often hear people want to be like the early church. Well, yes and no.
…How are we doing? Good in some ways, less good in others… I see people working on marriage; I see friends and small groups working on conflict; pastor-elders wading through difficult things over the last few years.
…But also, we have room to grow. I think we can be too content with contending for the gospel, the doing of ministry (as these women did), but not having hearts aligned in the Lord… this is not distraction to ministry.
…I think of our fellowship time we do once a month. It’s concerning that we can’t even have a fellowship time. Can we even talk to each other for five minutes? Yes, Euodia and Syntyche need to get along. “Amen!” we say. Yet we’re trying to have a culture of outreach, and we can sometimes barely talk to each other.
If the Lord is here among us, if his nearness is with us, it means we should work on our disagreements. Perhaps if some of you are very stuck, you might need to do what Paul tells them to do, which is the same thing Jesus said in Matthew 18, to bring another brother or sister to help. It’s worth it. There’s a lot of joy to be had on the backside of Christian forgiveness. Forgiveness and reconciliation are sweet places to live.
2. The Lord’s nearness means we are peaceful people, rather than anxious people
Not only does the nearness of the Lord affect our relationships, but it also affects the peace in our hearts. Because of the Lord’s nearness, we should be peaceful people, rather than anxious. Peaceful is my way to capture what Paul says in vv. 4–7 as he talks about rejoicing and giving thanks and not being anxious.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication 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 minds in Christ Jesus.
The Bible’s full treatment of anxiety, of which this is only a part, has nuance to it.
…Jesus can speak both of being “weary and heavy laden” (Matt. 11). That can make us anxious and concerned. And that’s not always wrong.
…In this letter, Paul spoke of being anxious about the health of Epaphroditus (ch. 2) or speaking in tears about enemies of the cross (ch. 3).
…We can think of Jesus weeping about his friend Lazarus, or the time he wept over Jerusalem.
…Unlike a religion like Buddhism, which seeks to eliminate care and concern, Christianity affirms the goodness of caring about the world and about others.
…But certainly good care can warp into sinful care, or sinful preoccupation. As I said, someone—not me, of course—could be anxious preaching a sermon about anxiousness.
…Two pastors have said: 1) anxiety is calculating the future without God in the equation, and 2)anxiety is when we have something in our hands that belongs in God’s hands.
…I love these because they get right to the heart: the nearness of the Lord changing everything.
…But in this way, there is an offensiveness to our culture about the Bible’s treatment of anxiety: it says you have some control. In this passage God commands you to take ownership of your thought life. Whether that involves medication or not is a separate question. It certainly might. Mainly, Paul is talking about those two definitions…
…And we’re not talking perfection… SEE CHAPTER 3 and “pressing on”…
There’s more I want to say about anxiety, but I think it would be better to read the next paragraph before I do. As I said, these topics at the end of the letter bounce around, but at the same time, they are all connected.
3. The Lord’s nearness means we are goodness people, rather than badness people
If I were to summarize the last paragraph, I’d say this: the Lord’s nearness means we are goodness people, rather than badness people. I know that’s a weird way to word it. But I’m trying to capture the essence of these famous verses. Let me read vv. 8–9.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is false, whatever is dishonorable, whatever is unjust, whatever is defiled, whatever is ugly, whatever is reprehensible, if anything is foolish, if there is anything worthy of your outrage, think constantly about these things. Whatever you have learned and received and heard and seen in the idiots in the world—pay attention to that and the God of peace will be with you.
Oh wait, sorry. That’s a different version. Let me read it in the one we have.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
When I say we’re goodnesss people and not mainly badness people, I mean that our main focus should be on what is good, true, and beautiful. We should most fill our minds with what is good—and we are terrible at this. I love you. But I need you to know that many of you are terrible at this.
Notice the connection Paul makes. Do you see the proximity of this verse and the proximity of the command to not be anxious? Do you see the proximity of the promise that the God of peace will guard our hearts and minds and these verses? Your heart and mind are vital spiritual organs. God is saying that he will guard your vital spiritual organs, but you also need to do two things: think about the good, and also follow the example of those who are doing good.
Consuming 10 hours of news each week is not helping you do this. Consuming 10 hours of social media, with an algorithm designed to make you doomscrolling, is not helping you be more thankful and prayerful and peaceful and reasonable. It’s difficult to obey the command “Let your reasonableness [or gentleness] be known to everyone,” when we watch modeled before us hours of people being unreasonable.
When we constantly think about whatever is false, whatever is dishonorable, whatever is unjust, whatever is defiled, whatever is ugly, whatever is reprehensible, whatever is foolish, whatever is worthy of your outrage, it should not be a surprise that our mental health struggles. These are not the only reasons, of course. But it certainly makes a difference. We have some ownership.
…Doesn’t mean we have to watch Hallmark movies… not only happy children’s books… Jared C. Wilson, not what but how… book club… cf. adultery… war… abortion… gay marriage… loving enemies…
…Consider the book of Judges and the Song of Solomon…
…Application to Christian storytellers and artists and musicians… If we are to think on such things…
Conclusion
…I said at the start of the sermon, what if a president… next 40 years…
…Childhood memory of being somewhere that President Reagan only drove by in a limo in a parade…. What if he had shaken my hand or gave me a hug?
…As unlikely as it is that a President would hop on economy class to fly with me to Orlando, don’t we think it’s more likely that the God of the universe will come near to us in his Son?
…Ephesians 2… Flip back… to those far from God…
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
… That’s a lot of words. I guess we could just say it the way Paul does in v. 5: The Lord is at hand.
…This would be terrifying, including his Second coming, if not for the cross.
This is the nearness we are to keep in mind. And that nearness changes everything. Let’s pray. “Dear Heavenly Father…”
Sermon Discussion Questions
Where do you see conflicts in the church, both broadly in our nation and in our fellowship? Are we better at this or worse? Why do you think so?
What principles of conflict are on display in this passage? How does Jesus move near to us in our conflict(s) with him?
Does your specific media consumption help you follow God or hurt?
How have you experienced the goodness of “living on the backside of Christian forgiveness and reconciliation,” as Benjamin mentioned?
