Think About Such Things

Well, good morning to you, to all of our campuses gathered. I'm so grateful just to be here this day. I pray that we would turn our eyes upon Jesus, that we would look full in His wonderful face, 'cause the things of this world will grow strangely dim as we turn to Him. And that's something that I pray would happen in all of our hearts today. And here's what I know, even Sunday after resurrection Sunday, here's the reality. My preaching today would be useless, our faith would be useless if Christ had not been raised from the dead. You see, it is because Jesus lives, it is because He is alive that I believe God is going to speak to our hearts, that God is going to shape our minds, our thoughts, all of who we are because we serve a God who is not dead, but we serve a God who is alive. And that's the beautiful part of what we get to be reminded of today. And here's why I bring this up. It's because of the resurrection that you and I have the power to think new thoughts. You and I, because Jesus is alive and He has risen from the dead, we have the power to think new thoughts. This is because Christ lives within us and He has given us His mind so that we can think consistent with Him. Here's why this matters. It's 'cause we live in an age of worry, freak out, hurry, fill in the blank, amen. We live in a culture that is filled with thoughts that are not consistent with God. And if we were to just think about the past few years and just in terms of what we have endured, just think about this for a few moments. We've endured and have gone through a global pandemic, social unrest, polarizing elections, job turnovers, unique challenges and losses that have befallen many of us, constant change with public health measures and trying to be adaptable to those, a brutal war that we all lament. When it rains it pours. See, the past couple of years have been compressed with so many different things happening. And when we think about this, I've felt just the heart of God just saying to me, for today, this day, it's good to be able to think about our thoughts; to be able to be reminded that because of what Jesus has done, that we have the power to think new thoughts and not go along with the culture. And it's no exaggeration, though, to state that our thoughts matter. They matter deeply. If we were to turn our attention to Proverbs 23, listen to what it says, "Do not eat the bread of a selfish person, "or desire his delicacies; "for as he thinks within himself, so he is. "He says to you, 'Eat and drink!' "but his heart is not with you." See, in that proverb, we saw that the selfish person is selfish. Why? Because that is how he thought. As he thought, so was he. You see, the thoughts that you think will impact how you live. So what we think about, what we dwell on it matters deeply. And by the way, the more you dwell on a certain thought or thought pattern, healthy or destructive, the easier it will be to think about those things again and again if we're not renewing our minds. For instance, I'm sure that we could all understand this idea when we think about, if any of you have a fear of spiders. Anybody has a fear of spiders? I think I see. No I'm kidding, there is none. I just needed to see if anyone was afraid of spiders. But if you are, here's the reality. You might often think about your fear of spiders and it might start to affect your behavior. For instance, you might start to avoid dusting certain parts of the house, avoid dusting those blinds. You might call your spouse over to address the spidey situation. That's never happened in my house. Yes it has. But the more we think about our fear of spiders, if you have that, it could be easier to think those thoughts again and again. And here's the thing. If you really wanted to conquer that fear, if you wished, here's what I would suggest. You would have to renew your mind. You would have to think differently. Here's maybe some thoughts you can think about them. When you think about spiders or if you see one, maybe call these things to your attention. There's fewer pests destroying crops because of spiders. There's less disease spread because they take care of insects. And most importantly, we would not have the song, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" if wasn't for spiders, right? I mean. Now if you have your fear of spiders and you don't wanna get over that, that's fine. I don't think that's necessarily harmful to you. So do as you wish with that. But what happens if we have developed destructive thought patterns about issues of life and death? What if we have developed thought patterns about God that are broken? What if we have developed thought patterns about who we are in Christ that are broken? What if we have grown more anxious and fearful than ever before in these past few years? What if shame and guilt have haunted us again and again? What if maybe doubts are starting to echo louder in our minds than we ever thought possible? What do we do? What happens? See, this is something that I'm sure we all can relate to. It's something I can relate to. And it's things that God has been able to show me. Because here's the reality. You and I, because of the resurrection of Jesus, as I stated at the outset, you and I have the power to think new thoughts. You see, when we turn to the Book of Philippians, Paul actually talked about this. This is our text for today. He said this, "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 "or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. "And the God of peace will be with you." See, right here, just a few words to pay attention to, when Paul says, "Finally," Paul is beginning to reach the conclusion of his letter here in Philippians. And what he wants this church to understand, what he wants them to know is that even throughout his circumstances, he's imprisoned likely in Rome at this point. He's writing back to this church, and he's reminding them of his circumstances, Christlike relationships, knowing Jesus, prayerfulness, the peace of God. And now he gives attention to the thought life. So that's why even when we see that word finally, that could help give some understanding there. But then he also says "brothers and sisters." Now what we can see here, this tone is familial. He's talking to family. He's talking to a church that he dearly loves. And by the way, I wanna carry that same tone. Brothers and sisters of The Chapel, who I love, I pray that we would be able to continue to glean wisdom from what Paul said here in this text. But there's a number of truths that we can pull out here. And here's the first one that I want us to realize, and it's this: Think about things that are worth thinking about. You see, think about things that are worth thinking about. Paul actually gives a list of eight different virtues to be able to set our minds on, to be able to set our attention on. And when he does this, when we think about this word think, as we realize that word, sometimes in our English language, we can boil that down very simply, that may not carry the same force as what Paul was talking about. So for instance, we can easily boil it down to, "All right, well, what do I want for ice cream today?" It's 80 degrees out in Buffalo. I mean in April. Praise God. But when we think about that, we can easily boil it down to, "Okay, well, "let me think about what I want for ice cream. "Hmm, do I want cookie dough, mint chocolate chip?" And we can easily boil it down to thinking just about those things. And by the way, I would pick mint chocolate chip. But when Paul is writing here, it's deeper than that. The idea of thinking is deeper. It's to reckon, to calculate, to give careful thought to, to dwell on. A deep thinking and a deep dwelling is the instruction. And the list that Paul here gives, I mean, it's fairly unique because what he's actually doing is he's taking the philosophy of his day, as well as his understanding of Jewish literature and wisdom and he's encouraging the church to think about these things in light of the cross. That you've thought about these things, but think about true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable in light of what Jesus has done on your behalf. It kind of reminds me of what C.S. Lewis said. "I believe in Christianity "as I believe that the sun has risen: "not only because I see it, "but because by it I see everything else." This is really the heartbeat of what Paul is talking about. That it is because of the cross, it is because of the resurrection that we can think about these things in our everyday lives. We don't have to detach from the world to see these things, but we can actually engage the world and set our minds on things above and actually realize and recognize that there is a different way to think. You see, these eight virtues, I wanna go through them. And as we do, it's important because I wanna make sure that we have a good understanding of them. So the first virtue that Paul gives here is whatever is true. Whatever is true. Look along in your Bible here. I'm not gonna put these on the screen, so look along. Whatever's true. In other words, whatever conforms to the Gospel of Jesus, whatever is consistent with His heart, whatever is in line with who God is, His nature. Because the cost is too a high if we start to suppress the truth of God. For instance, when Paul was writing in Romans 1, listen to what he talked about. "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven "against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, "who suppress the truth by their wickedness, "since what may be known about God's plan is plain to them, "because God has made it plain to them. "For since the creation of the world "God's invisible qualities, "His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, "being understood from what has been made, "so that people are without excuse." You see, he begins, Paul even in Romans talks about those that have suppressed the truth of God and describes us in line with those that have given themselves over to wickedness, godlessness. And this is impactful to recognize that it was those who suppressed the truth of God. No wonder why Paul would even talk about dwelling on things that are true. And then even a little bit later in Romans, take a listen, Paul said, "Furthermore, "just as they did not think it worthwhile "to retain the knowledge of God," listen to this, "so God gave them over to a depraved mind," those that have suppressed the truth, God gave them over to depraved mind, "so that they did what ought not to be done. "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, "evil, greed and depravity. "They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. "They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, "insolent, arrogant and boastful; "they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; "they have no understanding, no fidelity, "no love, no mercy." See in this, what do we recognize? Is that those that suppressed the truth of God, those that suppressed who God is, what Jesus has done, God gave them over to a depraved mind. And what did that result in, this depraved mind, depraved thoughts? It led to depraved actions. You see, you cannot live a God-glorifying life if your mind suppresses the truth of God. If your mind suppresses who God is, His truth, His Word, what He's revealed about Himself; you cannot live a God-glorifying life if your mind suppresses the truth of God. In fact, listen to what Jesus said in John 8. "To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, "'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. "'Then you will know the truth, "'and the truth will set you free.'" You see, when we believe the truth of God, it is His truth that has the power to set us free. This is what Jesus has said. And this is the beauty of what we can think about. Dwell on whatever is true. And if... I can't say it any more simply than this. If you wanna know it's true, look at Jesus. Look at Jesus because listen to what He said in John 14. "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. "'No one comes to the Father except through me.'" You see, when we realize and recognize that it is the truth of Jesus and who He is that sets us free, that is what we are instructed to dwell on. Suppressing that will lead to destruction. Suppressing the truth will lead to destruction. So dwell on whatever is true. But then secondly, Paul says, whatever is noble. Whatever is noble. If you think of nobility, a noble office, if you will, would call for a level of respect, level of honor that would come with that. And so right here when we think about whatever is noble, one commentator said, it's lifting our minds and our thoughts off of the cheap and tawdry and setting our minds on that which is noble and good and of moral worth. You see, it's taking your thoughts, it's taking your minds away from the temporary and setting them on that which is eternal. This is the idea: it is to lift our minds on respectable, honorable, noble thoughts. Then Paul says, whatever is right. You see, when we think about whatever is right, you and I can also boil this down to simply, like we can with truth, we can easily think about this so loosely. We define what is right so loosely. So for instance, if you're here in western New York and you go to Duff's, which are awesome chicken wings, wonderful deliciousness, but if you go there and you order a salad at Duff's, that would not be right. If you wear New England Patriots gear in western New York, Lord have mercy. That would not be right. If you leave my sermon early while I'm praying today... How did that end up in my notes? Wow! The point I'm trying to make is this, is that we can easily define what is right subjectively, very loosely. But what is right is always defined by God. What is right is always defined by who He is, by His justice. Maybe I could say it this way, dwell on the righteousness of God. Dwell on the justice of God. Dwell on what He deems right, no matter the cost. 'Cause doing what's right, thinking about what's right, it might cost you. But are you constantly looking for an easier way out? "No one will really ever know. "Hey, it's just this thought. "Who really cares? "I'm the only one thinking it." Or do we dwell on what is right? Can we lead our thoughts to the righteousness of God, what He deems is acceptable? Then Paul also says this, whatever is pure: that which is holy and pure and blameless before God. Maybe I could word it this way. Think consistently with the nature of God. God is pure, God is holy. And even throughout the Scripture, He calls His people to be holy, to be pure. Why? Because this is who God is. This is His nature. He is completely other than us, as we have heard a few weeks ago. But how often can our thoughts lead us to ourselves? How often can our thoughts lead us to just what we want? How often can our thoughts be tainted by sin and selfish desires? You see, Paul's instruction is to think about the nature, the pureness, the reality of who God is. Think consistently with His nature, whatever's pure. Then lovely and admirable: thinking of those things that are lovely, beautiful, pleasing, attractive to the heart of God. And then admirable and commendable: whatever is well spoken of, or of good report. How often do we see bad reporting? But whatever's of good report, admirable deserves our attention. And then Paul kind of wraps this up; whatever's excellent or praiseworthy. Excellent: that which is morally excellent or virtuous or praiseworthy. Whatever is worthy of our praise to God; all of these things are worthy of our thoughts and our attention. Maybe I can summarize this by telling you the opposite of what Paul is saying. Do not dwell on lies. Do not dwell on the temporary and cheap things that this world offers. Do not dwell on unrighteousness and evil. Do not dwell on the lust of this world. Do not dwell on things which will take your mind off of that which is beautiful, lovely, excellent, and that will ignite a heart of praise to God. Rather think and dwell on that which is consistent with the nature of God, the heart of God, and the life of God. This is what Paul is saying to think about, to set our minds on. Think about things that are worth thinking about. 'Cause we often can allow things to boil up in our minds, in our hearts that are so inconsistent with who God is. But again, I will remind us: because of the power of the resurrection, because of Christ in you, because of Christ in me, because of the mind of Christ that we've been given, we have the power to think new thoughts. But there's a second instruction that we can see. Not only thinking about things that are worth thinking about, but put into practice the way of Jesus. There needs to be a level of movement here. It's very hard to just say, "Okay, I'm just gonna stand still "and do nothing with what I've heard today," and just expect boom, it's magic, right? It's not how it works. We gotta actually put into practice the way of Jesus, practicing discipleship, actually following Him in what He's called us to do and who He's called us to be. Because even as we continue in our text here, Philippians 4:9, Paul said, "Whatever you have learned or received "or heard from me, or seen in me." What does it say? "Put it into practice." There is a level of practicing discipleship, of movement toward God that we have to recognize if we are going to think new thoughts. And could you just imagine, by the way, could you just imagine what it must have been like to observe Paul live out his relationship with Jesus? Could you just imagine that? He walked with God, his life completely transformed, greatest missionary to ever live. And for this church to be able to see his faith with Christ lived out, how beautiful that must have been, how incredible. And of course, when Paul says this in verse nine, there is a level of observing physically as he had visited the church at Philippi before. But when we see this here, we can at least notice some things that he said throughout the letter of Philippians that are worth paying attention to. What can we observe from Paul in Philippians that are worth putting into practices, what practices? Because by the way, even when we think about this, Paul said something very similar in 1 Corinthians. Take a listen to it. "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." So if that couldn't be more straightforward for us. What can we at least observe from Philippians though about some practices that we can put into practice? No pun intended. First practice we can recognize, the practice of proclaiming the Good News. Paul did this. And this is observable in Philippians. For instance, take a listen here in Philippians 1. "Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, "that what has happened to me has actually served "to advance the Gospel. "As a result, it has become clear "throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else "that I am in chains for Christ. "Because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters "have become confident in the Lord, "dare all the more to proclaim the Gospel without fear. "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, "but others out of goodwill. "The latter do so out of love, "knowing that I am put here for the defense of the Gospel. "The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, "not sincerely, supposing "that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. "What does it matter? "The important thing is that in every way, "whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. "Because of this I rejoice. "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice." See, it is the proclamation of the Good News which was Paul's concern. He was put into house arrest, chained to Roman guards, and yet his main concern is that Christ is preached. His main concern is that people would recognize, even the soldiers around him would realize and understand that his chains are for Christ; that God is using his circumstances, even though they are difficult. And may that be our concern as well. The practice of the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus. Why? Because it is the truth of Jesus that will set people free, as we have already realized and recognized. But secondly, there's the second practice here and it is this, the practice of humility. It's the practice of humility. If we were to, again, look at Philippians 2. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. "Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, "not looking to your own interests "but each of you to the interests of the others. "In your relationships with one another, "have the same mindset as Christ Jesus," the same mindset. And then Paul goes on to talk about how Jesus left heaven, how He was obedient to death, even to death on a cross. And He gave His life for us so that we can be saved in Him. And when we realize what Jesus has done, how can this not engender humility in our hearts? Because we were nothing without Him, and it is only because of Him that we have life. And this is what Paul is getting at. In your relationships with one another, consider what Jesus has done, consider who He is and treat one another with a level of humility. Thirdly, the practice of contentment. It's the practice of contentment. If we were to think of Philippians 4, Paul said, "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord "that at last you renewed your concern for me. "Indeed, you were concerned, "but you had no opportunity to show it. "I'm not saying this because I'm in need, "for I have learned to be content "whatever the circumstances." What we don't find Paul saying is... Oh, I'm sorry, I'm gonna keep reading this. "I know what it is to be in need, "and I know what it is to have plenty. "I have learned the secret of being content "in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, "whether living in plenty or in want. "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength." You see, in this passage what we find here is Paul talking about his contentment in Jesus, that he is content in Him. And what we don't find Paul saying is, "Man, what's happened to me really stinks! "I am awaiting death likely. "I'm unsure of my circumstances. "I don't know what's happening next. "I'm in prison, in house arrest; I can't go anywhere." We don't find him or hear him saying, "Man, this is awful. "Like 2020 man, it's awful." Which it was, of course. But what we see here, what Paul's saying is he has learned the secret of being content. And where is this found in? It's found in Jesus because Jesus is never changing. Jesus is our anchor. Jesus is our firm foundation. Whether well fed, hungry, whether circumstances are great or awful, Jesus is where and is in whom we can be content in. And Paul knew this; it's the practice of contentment. But then fourthly, I would tell us this, it's the practice of prayer. It's the practice of prayer. Listen to Philippians 4. Paul said, "Do not be anxious about anything, "but in every situation, "by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, "present your requests to God. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, "will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." See, there is a peace beyond comprehension that we can experience, and Paul knew this. Paul knew the peace of God. And it can be experienced through prayer. You see, the greatest antidote to an anxious heart is a prayerful heart. And the promise? It's the peace of God that will guard like a military guard, like a fortress around your mind and your heart; this is what the peace of God does. And it transcends all human understanding. Paul knew this to be true. And this was the practice of prayer that he modeled. You see, when you practice the way of Jesus, when you think His thoughts and practice the way of Jesus, here's what you realize quickly. This life that we live is not our own, but it is in service to the kingdom of God and to those around us. It is others-centric, not self-centric. So instead of allowing maybe the toxic negative thoughts maybe to flood our minds, maybe you can ask some of these questions, if that starts to happen. Who can I be praying for? Who can I serve? How can I take joy in what God is doing in somebody else? Who can I share Jesus with? You see, because what can happen in our minds is it can easily boil down to just us where all we're looking at is just me. But when we practice the way of Jesus, He lifts our eyes to see things differently where we can see everything else different. And this is why Paul is helping us to understand, to put into practice the way of Jesus, put into practice how Paul lived out his life with Christ. But then thirdly, we can see this truth, rest in the peaceful presence of God. You see, we're gonna think new thoughts consistent with the mind of Christ as we put into practice the way of Jesus, and we're going to rest that God is with us. Listen to Philippians 4. "And the God of peace will be with you." Enough said. "The God of peace will be with you." You can rest your soul in that truth. You can rest your heart in that truth, knowing that God is with you. What a promise to cling to. What a promise to cling to! That no matter how crazy the world might grow, no matter the storms that rage all around us, the peace of God is always possible to experience. Why? It's because the peaceful presence of God is with me and is with you as you put your faith and trust in Jesus. So maybe instead of the what-if thinking that we can easily give ourselves to; what if this happens? What if that happens? What if this? What if that? So what if it does? By the way, it likely doesn't or won't happen exactly how you thought. Right? How often is that the case? But maybe instead of what-if thinking change it to even-if thinking? What if this? Even if this happens, the God of peace is with me. Even if that happens, the God of peace is with me. Even if that happens, the God of peace, the God of the universe is with me. And I hope, I pray that we live into that promise. Because Paul knew it, Paul understood it. He dwelled on this, he thought about this. And I pray that we would do the same. And if you're like me, you're probably asking yourself, how, even in the midst of all of these circumstances that Paul was enduring and facing, how was he able to write, think about all of these things that are true, lovely, pure? How was he able to do it? Tell me Paul? Well, here's what I can suggest. I believe Paul was able to write under the inspiration of the Spirit in this way, here's why. It's 'cause Jesus was his life. Jesus was his life. You see, even knowing earlier what Paul wrote in Philippians, he talked about, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." And then in another place, "I consider everything a loss "compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus." You see, Paul had a deep fellowship with God, a deep fellowship with Jesus. And so how was he able to lead his thoughts so consistently with God? Maybe I can summarize it this way, the best I know how: when Jesus is your life, He will be the center of your thoughts. You see, when Jesus is your life, He will be the center of your thoughts. You can't help but think about a Savior that has saved you out of the mud and mire and set your feet on a rock. You can't help but think about a Savior that went to a cross for you so that in and through Him and by faith in Him, you can be saved and forgiven and set free. You can't help but dwell on a Savior who loves you, who cares for you, who will abide in your heart as you abide in Him. You can't help but think about so great a Savior. Paul knew it, and may we do so as well. When Jesus is your life, He will be the center of your thoughts. But it doesn't mean that we won't experience fear in this life. It doesn't mean that we won't experience worry. Doesn't mean we won't experience anxiousness. Put me at the front of the line. But these thoughts don't have to rule our lives. These thoughts actually don't have to rule our lives because Paul said in another place, listen to what he said in 2 Corinthians, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. "On the contrary, "they have divine power to demolish strongholds. "We demolish arguments and every pretension "that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, "and we take captive every thought "to make it obedient to Christ." Take captive every thought, make it obedient to Christ. You see, even if we're experiencing fear, we could be reminded and take that thought captive, be reminded that Jesus is in control. And He has given us not a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline. If we are experiencing anxiousness and if anxiety is great within us, we can know and take that thought captive and take some of those thoughts captive and know that there is peace beyond understanding that we can experience. That the God of peace is with us; that it is His perfect peace that will guard our hearts and our minds as we pour out our request to Him. If we've been drawn away by the lust of this world, take those thoughts captive and be reminded that Jesus is better. He will satisfy every longing soul and every searching heart. If we're constantly thinking about what will happen if this person is in office, or if this person is in office, take those thoughts captive and remind yourself that God is in office. For facing a mountain and it seems like there is no way around, we can remind ourselves that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who will continue to lead His people in every circumstance. You see, when Jesus is your life, He will be the center of your thoughts. We have the power to think new thoughts. So this past week, it was a difficult week for my wife's family, and even, of course, by extension my family. She had, my wife ended up losing her grandmother on Easter Sunday. So we celebrated the joy of resurrection with our church family, and then spent our evening in a hospital. And it was beautiful though. She had suffered a little bit toward the end of her life. But it was beautiful because she knew the Lord. She's with God. And what's powerful to think about this is Val's uncle ended up talking about how it was Friday, Good Friday, where she suffered a seizure. And it was Saturday that she waited. And Sunday she went home to be with the Lord. And then her uncle said to us in a group chat, he said, "Man, it sounds like a familiar story." And it was a beautiful celebration of life on Friday just knowing the life that she lived. And it was awesome. But I highlight this because when we realize that there is a peace that we can experience, that God is with us, that no matter what happens, come life or death, may Jesus be our life. And even that was true of my grandmother-in-law, it could be true of us, because Jesus suffered on Friday, He waited on Saturday, and He conquered death and hell and the grave on Sunday as He came, rose from the dead to give us new life in Jesus. So I would admonish all of us today, change your thinking. Repent. Some of us think, "Whoa, that's a big churchy word." Here's what it means. Metanoia, change your thinking, change your mind. You thought these thoughts? No more. I'm gonna think consistently with Jesus, with His mind, His strength, His power in me.