Unchained – Think About It! – Sermon – Pastor Dave Page

So, what we have here is rock-solid counsel for those who need the strength and presence of God to help them triumph over all such challenges. This is really an extension of vs. 7 and it’s practical advice that Marlee went through last week. What Paul says here isn’t designed for the ivory-tower intellectual theologian, but for us, the everyday Christian man and Christian woman who lives out in the trenches of life.

Paul is asking these people that he loves and I believe in that, God is asking all of us, myself included, to think today about the overall quality of our lives, whether in our relationships, how we spend our money and time and energy, what we wear, what we do at work, how we speak, what we watch and listen to, where we go with friends or when alone. What does our everyday existence look like when we hold it up to what Paul is encouraging us with here. And so he encourages them with these words – think about such things!

Make no mistake: There is no silver bullet that makes a change in life,
Your mind matters.
What you think matters.

In fact, it matters eternally. So Paul tells us all to think about true things, not lies; think about – some of your translations might say meditate on what is noble and dignified, not what is beneath your status as a Child of the most high God; meditate on what is just and righteous not what is wrong and distorted; focus on what is pure, not sleazy; fix your thoughts on what is admirable and excellent and praiseworthy, not offensive and ugly.

Do you notice how this word “whatever” is used all through v. 8. The reason for that is to impress on the reader the extensive scope of these ideals in terms of how they are to transform our lives. Don’t think of these as simply general principles but more like the building blocks of a life where truth and purity and excellence is made up of daily, even hourly acts characterized by these words.

Now, for me, here’s where some of the tension comes in. Something we need to recognize is that these ideals are not distinctively Christian. They can be found in the behaviours of many cultures in the world around us. Theologians talk often about “common” grace, that is, the goodness and grace of God whereby He bestows on the unbelieving world good gifts and talents and skills that are designed to make life livable. Now pay attention to this because we don’t always like to hear this next part – Common grace doesn’t mean the people who exemplify these good behaviours,  who are recipients of common grace, are necessarily saved and redeemed. I’ve said to you before, and I know this is not always easy to hear, but there will be some good people on Earth that don’t spend eternity with Jesus. And so, we mustn’t forget that a lot of people who have displayed incredible financial generosity toward the victims of the latest tragedy or world catastrophe are quite often non-Christians. That’s not judgement by me, that’s just data. Countless non-believers have made remarkable personal sacrifices of time and energy in order to assist those in need. I point this out to say that whenever and wherever these ideals in v. 8 appear in the broader culture, identify them and think about them and embrace them. Maybe even encourage those you see exemplifying this ‘Godly’ way of living. 

There are eight of these ideals that Paul mentions, so let’s look briefly at each of them.

(1) “Whatever is true” – Whether we’re talking about theology, economics, political theory or your 200 acts of kindness,

Truth is whatever conforms to the gospel and the revelation of God’s will in his Word. God’s truth intersects our everyday moments.

Sadly, an ever-increasing number of people are drawn to the preposterous notion that there is no objective and universal truth…. that there are as many “truths” as there are individuals who believe them. Truth for them is entirely subjective, -whatever feels true or seems true to each individual subject, is true. That’s a dangerous way to think…Paul says to think and meditate on truth through the filter of God and His word, then by each other, the church, the world, sin, redemption, relationships, etc.

(2) “Whatever is noble” – By this word he has in mind whatever is dignified, majestic; whatever evokes respect and reverence; lofty and majestic things rather than the vulgar and crude, frivolous and trivial pursuits the messaging of the world would have you attain. Following Jesus should never lead us to embrace mediocrity or sloppiness or vulgarity, whether in our speech, our appearance, our activities, our productivity, etc. Paul is talking about the things that elevate the mind rather than dragging it through the gutter.

(3) “Whatever is right” – read this as if to say, whatever is in accord with divine standards of right and wrong. Again, we live in a day when any such notion that there is an ultimate right or wrong, an eternal and unchanging justice is simply ignored, or perhaps even mocked…. another dangerous way to think…

(4) “Whatever is pure” – The word “pure” is used often in the NT and can mean chaste (2 Cor. 11:2; Titus 2:5), innocent (2 Cor. 7:11), or morally pure and upright. Paul is practically calling us to fix our thoughts on those things that are untainted by evil or moral corruption; remember the environment that these folks in Philippi found themselves surrounded by.

(5) “Whatever is lovely” – Here he focuses on whatever calls forth love and admiration and is pleasing or agreeable to the heart; in accordance with the righteousness and truth we’ve already talked about. These are the sorts of things that are endearing and often very individual. They can certainly be what is recognized by the world at large as admirable, whether a symphony by Beethoven or a painting by one of the masters, music, even a charitable deed by Mother Teresa.

(6) “Whatever is admirable” …. and avoids giving offence.

I believe Paul is saying here to pursue those things which, on being seen or heard or encountered, lead everyone to exclaim, “Well done!” He’s talking about deeds and thoughts that by their very nature move people to admiration and praise. – your 200 acts of kindness are admirable.

(7) “if anything is excellent” – Can I be blunt…. Too many Christians settle for mediocrity. Sometimes we’re ok with just getting by. Good enough is the motto. But God has in mind for you a life far better than good enough. He calls us to excel, to do all within our power and by his grace to pursue and produce the very best.

Please allow me to drill in here for a moment because I want to make sure there are no misunderstandings in this. There is a huge difference between “excellence” and professionalism or performance. Excellence as Paul is encouraging here is doing everything to the best of one’s ability as enabled by God, and in such a way that no one is distracted by it or is tempted to give credit to anyone but God.  Professionalism and performance are human-centered and are concerned with drawing attention to us.  The pursuit of excellence should direct attention to God.

(8) “or praiseworthy” – this is the sort of conduct that wins the affection and admiration of others, even non-Christians. So often conduct like this stands our because it is in short supply in our world.

Now, you might be asking, “so what is our responsibility in all of this?” Well Paul says you need to “think” about such things, to reflect upon them, to meditate on, to dwell on; it means to carefully consider and ruminate on these attributes and ideals so that lives transformed and be shaped accordingly.

Let me give you a very real and practical example here. Take the Western world’s addiction to TV as one example of the enemy of what Paul says in this passage. Follow along with me:
 The data tells us that the average North American spends a minimum of four hours a day watching TV.

The average North American child spends from 1,200 to 1,800 hours a year watching TV but only 900 hours a year in school and by the age of 20, the average North American has seen 800,000 TV commercials. Before a child finishes elementary school, they will have seen approx. 8,000 murders.

By the time they are 18 they will have seen approx. 200,000 acts of violence.
Here’s the really scary thought – By the time the average North American reaches the age of 65, he/she will have spent nearly 8 years watching TV.

Question: If you had a filter or mechanism of some sort that you could automatically apply to your TV, your computer, your cell phone and your tablet and the books you read and the websites you visit and the video games you play and the places you go and what you see and what you hear that only permitted things that reflect and are consistent with the 8 virtues just listed, how much would be left for your intake?

What Paul is saying is that if we actively seek the positive, we will by default weed out the negative. Instead of asking of some activity or event or book or TV show or internet site, “What’s wrong with it?” why not ask, “What’s right with it?”

In fact, I think this is some of the most practical and authoritative biblical guidance for how to make decisions regarding many so-called gray area issues or matters on which the Bible appears entirely silent.

The Bible doesn’t provide us with an explicit arrow every time we encounter a fork in the road. Some things are left unspoken. Philippians 4:8 is a great measuring rod for our decision-making: When I am confronted with a difficult choice, I must ask:  

• Is it true?
• Is it consistent with the moral and theological principles of God’s Word?  
• Is it a noble thing?
• Is it right and just?
• Does it awaken appreciation?
• Is it the sort of thing I could recommend to others?
• Does it encourage me to pursue excellence?
• Do I hear good and Jesus-loving people praise it?

Can we take a real time temperature check here this morning…?

Do these ideals resonate with your heart, or do you wince at the thought of them?

Do they feel liberated or oppressive?

Do they awaken life and joy in you, or do you feel rebellious and angry at the thought of how they might govern your life?

Do you find yourself thanking God for emphasizing them this morning or resentful that he has required of you something you would rather ignore?

That may sound like your Pastor meddling but let me assure you that your answer to these questions will tell you a lot about the state of your soul.

The Practice (v. 9a)

Don’t miss the connection between v. 8 and v. 9. Paul calls on the Philippians and all of us to consider to what extent these ideals are reflected in our lives, in what they’ve seen and heard and observed in him and his teaching, and then to put all of that into practice.

I could easily preach an entire message on what v. 9 tells us about the nature and importance and absolute necessity of discipleship. Do you wonder why we are so insistent about our groups and studies in this church? It’s because of biblical statements like this.

You need the input and example and influence of godly people. I need that. And we also need to be the one who is an example and influence to others.

So, more questions:

From whom are you learning?
Who is mentoring you?
Are you being discipled? Are you discipling others?

Clearly, Paul believed passionately in the importance of godly, Christ-like role models who embody and live out the eight ideals he’s just enumerated in v. 8.

Where are those people in your life?
Where are you in the lives of other people?

The Promise (v. 9b)

I will finish with this last thought. Do you remember how Paul concluded v. 7? It was with the promise that if we pray about everything “the peace of God” will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

When you do these things, God makes you a promise. At first glance it seems as if God’s promise is that He will give you, His peace. That in itself would be a great promise, but it’s actually better than that. Look closely at verse 9 and you will see that the promise is not that God’s peace will be with you but “the God of peace will be with you.” The two statements are similar but not identical. The promise in verse 9 includes peace, but the focus of the promise is God Himself. Yes, God will give you peace, but He will be with you as you put these things into practice.

When you put this into practice you demonstrate your faith and trust in Jesus. You will never have a joyful, enduring faith if we allow the enemy to run rampant among your thoughts, you will be miserable, resentful, bitter, ineffective, and unfruitful….

The promise of God being “with” us is the promise of more than merely his presence, but includes the experience of his grace, of his blessing, his guidance, his protection, his constant power to help us do whatever needs to be done, etc.

What did Jesus tell his disciples right before he ascended into heaven? Surely, I am with you always. Jesus says the same thing to you?

What did the writer of Psalm 23 say when he talked about the scary world in which he lived? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”  God is with you, no matter what the circumstances of your life might be. He is never more than me away from you. He holds your hand as you walk this path of life. ” So do not fear, for I am with you” God says in Isaiah 41, “Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Peace is believing that God is with you.

May the God of Peace who came to be with you fill you with peace this day.