Good morning. It's good to be here this morning to bring God's Word upon us. Do you ever catch yourself thinking about something? And then you just stop and say, self or mind, why on God's name am I thinking about that? Do you ever stop to think to yourself and say, well, what if my thoughts, what if my thinking became my words? Even more, what if my words became my actions? Do you ever think what would happen? Well Paul, in writing this final words to the church in Philippine, is speaking to us this morning about our mind, about our thoughts, and about how we act. So would you stand together as we honor the reading of God's Holy Word? Paul writes in Philippians 4, 8, and 9, he says, 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, 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's Word this morning, we ask the Lord as we gather before your presence to hear, your Word that we wouldn't only not just hear it, but we will receive it, and understand it, and be doers of what you're calling us to. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen. Please be seated. One of the commentators in this passage describes for us what he's learned through the scientific research about the human mind. He says that the scientific research shows that the capacity of the human brain has about 12 to 14 billion cells, and that's just a shadow of our mind's complexity. That each cell sends out thousands and thousands of connecting tendrils so that each cell, each single cell may be connected with about 10,000 neighboring cells, which is constantly exchanging data impulses. Now, these 12 to 14 billion brain cells, multiplied by 10,000 connectors make the human mind an amazing computer. Wouldn't you say so? That the mind's capacity has been compared to about 1,000 switchboards, each big enough to serve New York City all by itself, all running at full speed as they receive and send questions and orders at the same time. Put another way. There's more electronic equivalent in one human brain than all radio and TV stations of the entire world put together. The human brain doesn't miss a thing, does it? It's from the beautiful harmonies of the African jazz by Huma Sakella to the beautiful harmonies of Johann Bach, to the amazing paintings of Picasso, to the brilliant minds of scientists all over the world, and theologians, like one of my favorite St. Augustine, businessman, and all the architecture that we can enjoy throughout the world. See, while our minds are so complex and capable of doing some pretty amazing things as we all know, God made your human brain, God made our brain so that it may be able to reach its apex in the possibility of processing the mind of Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. That's why God made the mind. And here, Paul, in this verse that we've just read this morning, is basically giving us a relationship between our thinking and our action, a relationship between the mind and the heart. What do we think and does it inform our actions? And so he begins in verses 8 by telling us that we ought to think right. Our thinking must be right for us to live right. He says, whatever is true, whatever is lovely and pure and honorable and commendable, and lovely, he says, think about these things. If there is any excellence, there is anything that's worthy or praise. It is in this concluding remarks in this book that Paul is exhorting the church in Philippi to fill their minds with that which is excellent, without which is right. See, Paul noticed he's actually appealing to the church by pointing to them of things that they were aware, things that they knew even before they were believers, that the virtues that he actually indicates for us were present, they were admired and pursued in the Greco-Roman philosophy and culture. They're not exclusive to the Christian community. They are not. What a testament that the common grace is actually a reality in this church. Common grace, as we say, that God, that the sun shines even upon the wicked. There's common grace. However, there's a difference here as Paul is giving us this virtues. That while the people in the Greco-Roman culture might be admiring and pursuing and wanting to have this virtues, they are doing so without Christ. Remember, Paul throughout Philippians has been speaking of having the mind of Christ but also being in Christ, being united with Christ. And so people might be able to admire and pursue this virtues outside or apart from Christ. They are unaware of their brokenness and of their sin. But Paul is saying, you, the church in Philippi, you who is united with Jesus Christ, you are able to pursue and have this virtues in a Christ-like manner. And why would you want them to have this virtues? It's so that they may be a shining light as we've seen in chapter 3 and before in Philippians. They may be a shining light to the world that this virtues would actually act as a witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ through a wicked generation. And so Paul points to us this inconclusive list of six things. We can add on to that list because he says, he says anything else that's out there that's excellent and praiseworthy. He begins by showing us or pointing to us the truth. Whatever is truth, think about that. What does he mean? Truth begins with the divine person of who God is. That Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth. That he is all truth. He says, I am the way, the truth and the lie. That his message, his birth and his death and resurrection, which is the gospel, as we've seen in Colossians 1.5, is truth. That he is truth. John 17 and 17 tells us. Again, in Ephesians Paul speaks of truth and he says, he speaks of the belt of truth as the belt that holds together the full armor of God. So to think about what is true means to see Christ, Jesus Christ, his word and the gospel, his message of his coming to savers, but also in a sense that we engage in creation, that we reject all the rational thinking that we might have and speak the truth. But above all, it means that we're able to rightly relate with God's creation. How do we relate with everything in life, in our family, in politics and business? It is by knowing the truth. Unless you know the truth, you cannot relate rightly with anything in life. And then secondly, he speaks of what is honorable. Paul uses the same language entitled chapter 2 verses 2. He uses the word dignified. It signifies a personal moral excellence that's worthy of honor. It is that which is noble, that which is majestic, that which is all inspiring, as opposed to that which is mundane. And thirdly, he says whatever is just or right. For Paul, what is justice defined by the character of God himself, one of the attributes of God as we read in Scripture, is his justice. It is what is morally right and pure. And then he says whatever is pure. Every time we hear that word, we think about sexual immorality or sexual impurity. But don't you forget that what is pure implies to all areas of our life that we're called to purity, to think about what is pure in our thoughts, in our speech, in our actions that applies to every area of our life. And then fourth, fifthly, he said whatever is lovely, those things that put themselves out there before us because of their attractiveness. We speak of those things that are beautiful and awesome aesthetically and morally. All that is beautiful from the beautiful creation that God has made to the human lives. From the beautiful sunset that we all enjoy and know someone loves sunsets and sunrises, they admitted that in Sunday school, to the beautiful harmonies of music that fills our minds and souls to caring for the poor, for the least of these. It is that which is wholesome, that which promotes brotherly, sisterly love. And last but not least, he says whatever is commendable, your translation might say, admirable. It is what is of good report. It has to do with our conduct. That's highly, highly spoken of by others, by other people. So Paul is commanding the church and saying, I want you to think about these things, not just once in a blue moon, not just once in a while. I want you to think of these things continually, every single day of your life without CC. He's basically saying, I want you to have a spirit, to have a discipline of refusal, refusing to think otherwise, refusing to think that which is not right. But why would Paul focus on the mind? Why the mind? One of the great philosophers of the Enlightenment period, René de Carr, once sought to seek out himself and find out if he really existed. And so he coined out the term, I think therefore I am. I might not agree with this philosophy because he speaks of dualism, which is basically separating your mind and your body. I see that, I do not see that anywhere in scripture. But I think there's something he missed out. There's something he did not understand, even though he was on the right path. Because the measure of a man lies in how he or she thinks and not in what we own or our gifts. Put another way, we are not with what we think we are, but what we think we are. As we think so we are. See our thoughts do reveal our true character, our thoughts, our what shows they are a monitor of who we really are. You want to know who you are? It is what you think. Our thinking is what frames the life that we lead. Our thinking is what gives us a direction on what path we are going to choose in life. We read this morning as our memory verse of the week from Romans 12-2, that we are not supposed to be conformed to the patterns of this world, but being transformed by what? The renewal of our mind. Why so that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect? It is impossible. It is totally impossible for us to take out or get rid of the trash in our own minds without replacing them with an entirely different way of thinking. Like what Isaiah says in 55-70 says, let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous, their thoughts and what is going to happen. Let them turn to the Lord and He will have mercy on them and to our God for He will freely pardon. One commentator John Milton once said that we really do fall short of the mind of Christ that Paul is asking us to have. He said, quote, a mind is its own place and in itself can make a hell of heaven, can make a heaven of hell a hell of heaven. End quote. That's how much our mind is capable of. But having the mind of Christ means letting our minds before this surrender to God, it is going back to Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses 4-6, and Mark 12. To love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind and soul, and not forgetting that there is simply nothing that is hidden, not even our thoughts. There is nothing that is hidden from God, and that it is from that brain, from that mind, from our thoughts that are real reform, ought to begin, Psalm 139, 23. But our problem, church, is that we do not like to spend more time in God's word, we do not like to spend time hiding God's word in our hearts that we may not sin against Him. That I find it so easy for me to read a 12-step book or motivational speaking book to watch TV and listen to all the commentators, whether liberals or conservatives, and that gives me a way of my thinking, instead of going to scripture and finding out what does the Bible tell me, I find it easy to look elsewhere, I find it easy to listen to a different voice. If we are not willing to let ourselves be, the Word of God be absorbed in our hearts, if we are not letting ourselves to be guided by God's word, then how do we even there think that we might confront the world to change any unbiblical views that exist out there? If we go with what Glenn Beck or David Letterman says, and we disregard what the Bible says, you will not be able to make a change in this world. Paul, elsewhere in 2 Corinthians 10, 5, he says, how do we demolish arguments in every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God? How do we do that by listening to commentators? No. It's by taking every captive thought to make it obedient to Christ. How will you know what is true and lovely and commendable and just and good? How will you know that? How will you know that unless it is from God's Word, it is from what God says? It's the idea of a banker. Do you know how bankers are trained to recognize a fake note? They only use the right and the original bank note. That's it. They will never touch or see a fake note so that when they ever see one that is fake, they will recognize it. That's how we're supposed to be thinking Godly things, thinking about what's good and what is wise and what is just. And Paul all along has been talking to us about the gospel, hasn't he? He's been speaking of God's Word and the gospel and the message of Christ's death, his resurrection, his ascension, his Lordship over all things and saying that ought to be the ultimate paradigm that helps you determine what is good, what is beautiful, and what is right. It is the only way. Like everyone else, all people of the of the world can enjoy beautiful art and good music and excellence and other things. But without the gospel, it's not going to be there because you know what Christ is the truth. He is the one who is pure. He is the one who is lovely. He is the one who is beautiful beyond description. He is the wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the prince of peace, and by his death and resurrection, he is the one who exposes our goodness, our impurities, our sin, and everything else that we have. And for those that who are in Christ, Paul is saying, if you are in Christ, your mind is being renewed every single day of your life. So that by the renewal of that mind, you may begin to have the mind of Christ. But Paul doesn't stop there. It's not enough for us to just say, okay, I'm going to think about what is true and right and pure, and that's about it. He says, you're going to go a step further because thinking right ought to help us to live right. Look at verses 9, he says, what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. It is not simply enough to contemplate on what is excellent, on what is praiseworthy. Those things must be put into practice. This is why Paul is offering himself through the instruction that he's been giving the church through teaching them and watching them live his life as he lives out this virtues that he's telling them to imitate. The virtues commentate and says, we cannot be influenced by that which we do not know. Noble thoughts are useless. They are useless unless we put them in practice, unless we live them, unless they become deeds. Paul is using a Greek word here from the word logos, which means to think. Listen to what this word means. It means to ponder, it means to give proper weight or account and value to, and to allow the resultant appraisal to influence the way life is to be lived. It goes beyond simply contemplating, doesn't it? It goes into putting the thought into practice. Put what you have heard and seen and learned from me into practice. You can almost feel the force here of Paul as he's telling them, listen to what I've taught you. Have you received it? Have you heard it? Can you see what I'm doing and how I'm living my life? Paul is simply borrowing from his Jewish tradition. As we go back in the Old Testament in the Jewish tradition, what was learned was received and by being received meant you are actually obeying and walking in what you have learned. That you have not learned anything if you're not walking the talk, if you will. And Paul wants to instill this mindset in the church in Philippine, to ask why? Because what we think, we're inevitably influenced what we do. Our thoughts will influence what we do, our actions. Do you want to live right for God? Well, then think right. Do you want to please God? Then begin thinking about those things that please God by looking into His Word. See, our learning as we sit here this morning as we hear God's Word expounded. It's meant for living, isn't it? That it's not just meant for making our minds feel better or saying, oh, I've learned something today, or if you've learned something, then you ought to go live it, right? And so as God's Word is being expounded and as we hear it and sing it, we ought to live it. I love what John says in chapter 13 verses 17, he says, you know these things. Blessed are you? Is he stopped there? Blessed are you if you do them. Like one commentator Silver says, a mind drilled in the things of which God approves is the steadiest way into practical holiness. You want to learn what it means to start walking with God and being holy. Then your mind has to be drilled in thinking about the things that God approves. And then Paul says that there's a promise. There's a reward for us thinking right and living right and what is it? He says that the God of peace will be with them. Not only his peace, as we saw last week in verses 7, but the God of peace himself who is the source of all spiritual blessings. He will favor you and his peace will be with you always. As we always sing the simple but yet powerful song, trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to what? To trust and obey. That God's peace is shallown from the Old Testament, which is a state of true rest in Christ, a state of true harmony will be with you till the end. I like what Alistair Bagg, one of my favorite preachers, says he says, if we are to know and enjoy the power of God within us and his peace, we must surround our circumstances with prayer. We must drill our minds with Godly thinking and our lives subject to the instruction of God's word. If we miss this our lives will be messy. What a powerful message for us. It is so unfortunate that in our day we seek freedom from anxiety by trying to empty our minds. We are told to empty our minds so that we are not going to be anxious, while Paul is telling us that's not the solution to our anxious problems. Paul is telling us that true peace, true peace from God can be ours only when our minds are properly filled, when our minds are fed with God's word, with the right thoughts. By thinking about these things, I'm not speaking of positiveism. I'm not speaking of thinking positive things because this is what positivity tells us. Positive things says, I can deny the problems I have in my life because I'm told I just regard everything else that's going on around my life. Thinking right is not a denial that we have problems. Thinking right is an acceptance that I have a problem. When we talk about anxiety, the reason why the Bible tells us not to be anxious is because we are anxious. And I would be the first person to raise my hand and say and admit and confess. I am anxious every day because I do not believe that God, that Jesus Christ is my savior. I do believe that He's my savior, but I do not want to believe that He's my Lord. What do I mean by that? I want to believe that He saved me from my sin, but I don't want Him to take control of my life because every single day I want to be in charge of my life and I think I can do it. Right thinking is not denial that I suffer or struggle with doubt and unbelief. Right thinking is admitting that I actually have a problem. Right thinking is going back to God's Word and said, I do struggle with anxiety. And what am I going to do with that? I'm going to go back to God's Word and dwell on His promises because He says, I am His and He will never forsake me. It is thinking that and not just thinking, okay, what am I going to do? Yes, you do not stay as an anxious person without hope because Christ is your hope. A mind that's full will have less anxiety. Why? Because it is fully focused on what God approves. It is fully anticipating the peace of God. It is a mind that is daily being trained to think right. It is a mind that's daily being reminded to bring all of your anxious thoughts before your Heavenly Father because He cares. See the world might be able to think and practice this virtues. Again, I repeat, people can enjoy beauty and excellence and all those things. There's one thing they miss, one thing that you have if you are in Christ. The world can enjoy all those things but without Christ, it is nothing because Christ is the one who gives us peace when we're thinking right. There are more opportunity that they might call pure, can only be described as rubbish because then last Christ cleanses all of our thoughts and makes them to be according to His will. Then they are not right. We can only be enabled by Christ to think right. So how do we counter? How do we counter the busy and the noisy input in the world that we hear every single day of our life? How do we keep our minds focused on thinking that which is right? How do we keep our minds focused on hearing and receiving and seeing what is in Christ?
Second Corinthians 4, Paul tells us that the God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God. So how do we change that? How do we counter that? We just said it this morning. We read it together. It is by setting our minds on things above, not on earthly things. Do you believe in Jesus? Are you in Christ? Do you believe that He has called you that you belong to Him? That the good work that He began in you is completing it in you and that He wants you to think right and He wants you to live right. Do you believe that? Then if you do and if you're in Christ, He says you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. That's how you feed your mind. That's it. That's how you feed your mind. May the Lord help us to always think right so that we may live right to His honor and glory. Amen. Pray with me. Dear Father, we're so thankful this morning for your word that you're reminding us to think of these things that you've given to us and that by your spirit, you enable us to do so. So we ask the Lord, whatever we hear, whatever we learn from you. You would by the power of your Holy Spirit enable us to put it into practice and you do promise that the God of peace will truly be with us. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.