Think on These Things
Notes
Transcript
text: Philippians 4:1-9
1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you must stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
2 I urge Euodia and Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
3 Yes, and I ask you, my true yokefellow, to help these women who have labored with me for the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests 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 right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.
9 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.
PRAY
Introduction: Proverbs 4:23.
23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
The way that we choose to think will affect everything in our lives.
Our thoughts will affect
Our perseverance and endurance in the Christian life
Our ability to get along with one another and work through our differences
Our emotional wellbeing
Our trust in the Lord
Our obedience to the Lord
All of these things we see in this passage are related to the way that we think. We must choose the right kind of thoughts that will lead us to feel, say, and do what is right, what pleases the Lord.
Cultural/Historical Background: Paul’s imprisonment, the Philippians suffering
Where was Paul when he wrote Philippians? In jail in Rome.
What was going on for the Philippians? They were enduring persecution just like Paul: Phil 1:28-30
28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.
29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him,
30 since you are encountering the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
People are opposing them, mistreating them, persecuting them for their faith and their commitment to Christ.
The people of Philippi were Roman citizens, and as good Roman citizens, they were expected to swear allegiance to the Roman emperor and call him Lord and Savior. Instead, the Christians confess Jesus as Lord and Savior and swear allegiance to Him, and so they are excluded from many things, perhaps suffering loss of business or income.
But like Paul, they are staying faithful to Christ in the midst of their suffering.
Work Through Passage
Verse 1
1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you must stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Therefore - connection back to ch. 3
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body.
- on the basis of our citizenship in heaven and our hope of Christ’s return - therefore, stand firm. Endure. Persevere. Keep going.
1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you must stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown
Once again Paul expresses his love for these dear believers. They are a cause of joy for him, and he is so thankful for their growth and perseverance to this point. Now he tells them, keep it up!
Stand firm in the Lord
With your focus on what Christ has done in the past and what He will do in the future, keep running the race of the Christian life, stay faithful to Him, keep your eyes on the prize.
My Beloved
And he ends the verse, again reminding them of his love for them.
Verse 2
2 I urge Euodia and Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
Up to this point, Paul’s tone has been very positive and encouraging, and until we get to 4:2, we might almost think this church is practically perfect in every way.
But every church has problems, because every church is made up of sinful people. And sinful people sin.
Paul has indirectly dealt with this issue before. Back in ch. 1 he talked about growing in love, working together for the gospel; in ch 2, he talked about looking out for the interests of others and following Christ’s example of humility.
But in case they missed the point earlier in the letter, or in order to guarantee that the issue gets dealt with properly, he calls out some specific people in the church to deal with their conflict.
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche
How do you think these two ladies felt when their names were read publicly in their church gathering? I can’t imagine the shame or embarrassment they felt to be called out publicly for their failure to get along. But such an action was loving on Paul’s part, because he cares about them and wants them to live in a right way that pleases the Lord.
What was their disagreement about?
Chairs vs. pews?
Red vs. blue carpet?
Hymnals or words on screen?
NKJV or NIV Bible translations?
Honestly we don’t have any idea what their disagreement was. They knew, and probably everyone else at church knew.
Whether it was a minor point of doctrine, a personal application of Scripture, or even just personal preferences that were dividing them, their division was wrong, and they needed to be united in the Lord. Unite around the truths of the gospel, who Jesus is and what He has done for us.
Verse 3
3 Yes, and I ask you, my true yokefellow, to help these women who have labored with me for the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Sometimes conflicts require others to come alongside and try to resolve the conflict. Paul reaches out to this person directly, his true yokefellow, to get involved in helping resolve the conflict between these two women.
Who was this true yokefellow?
Proper name Syzygus?
Timothy or Epaphroditus?
Lydia (think Acts 16, the church meeting in her house)
Luke (again, Acts 16, “we” passages)
Paul’s wife (“yokefellow” can refer to a person’s wife)
The Philippian church as a whole, Paul’s partner in ministry
We don’t know for sure, but whoever it was knew. Paul was asking this person to be a mediator, a peacemaker - to “help” these women - to pull them together.
These women who had this disagreement had labored together with Paul for the gospel. These were dedicated Christian women, but they were struggling to live out the love and unity they were called to as Christians.
Paul also mentions Clement and other fellow workers with whom these women had worked for the gospel. We don’t know exactly who these people are, but Paul’s focus is this: the Gospel is enough to unite us. It has united us in the past, and it ought to unite us now. If we agree on the gospel, we can put aside our other differences and keep working for the spread of the gospel.
And an amazing truth Paul mentions at the end of v. 3 is that believers’ names are written in the Book of Life. Those who truly know Christ, who have embraced the gospel, have their names written in God’s Book of Life. And what is a mystery to us, as Revelation 13:8 tells us, this Book was written before the foundation of the world. If you’re in the book, you’re staying there. You’re not going to get your name erased because of your failure to live in harmony with another believer.
But if you reject the gospel, your name will not be found in that book of life.
Verse 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Rejoice in the Lord sometimes. On Sundays. When things are going well.
Nope.
Always. And in case you missed it, he says it again.
I repeat, rejoice!
Even when you’re suffering. Even when people are mistreating you. Even when life is not going well.
Rejoice.
Because joy does not depend on your circumstances but on your God. And your God doesn’t change.
So Rejoice!
Verse 5
5 Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.
Another way to say this would be show your gentleness to everyone.
This is especially significant given the context of suffering and persecution that they are enduring. Just as Jesus humbly and gently endured suffering, so must we.
Be gentle and kind even to those who mistreat you.
The Lord is near. That could mean at least a couple of different things.
His Return
Some take this as referring to His return, His second coming. Given the context of the end of chapter 3, that is certainly possible. Paul has just reminded them of their heavenly citizenship and their hope of Christ’s return and being with Him forever. Maybe Paul is reminding them of this hope once again.
His Presence
But I think it’s more likely that Paul is reminding them of the Lord’s nearness to them in the midst of their suffering. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted. The Lord is near to those who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. The Lord is near. He is with you as your helper. He will strengthen you, He will help you, He will uphold you so that you can live for Him even in the midst of your suffering.
The reminder of God’s special presence is especially encouraging when we’re going through hard times.
But either way, both of these things are true. His return is near, and He Himself is near to His people.
Verse 6
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Don’t worry about anything. Don’t try to control things that are out of your control. Don’t let yourself get so stirred up by the busyness of everything that needs to be done and forget what’s most important.
Mary & Martha (Luke 10:38-42)
38 As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.
40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
42 But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
That word “worried” is the same word Paul uses in Philippians 4:6
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Being anxious isn’t just worrying about the future; sometimes it is being overly agitated and troubled with the busyness of the moment and missing what is most important. Don’t be so distracted with your busy life that you miss out on communion with Jesus.
Instead of being anxious, we are called to pray about everything. We must take our troubles to the Lord, pour out our hearts to Him, seek Him, and we must not forget to thank Him for what He has already done.
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
And what happens when we choose to hand over our concerns to God?
Verse 7
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds.
Instead of anxiety we will have peace.
Instead of troubled hearts we will have calm and settled hearts even in the midst of trouble.
It will be like David in Psalm 16:8-9, where he said, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely.”
Nahum 1:7 says that the LORD “cares for those who trust in Him.” And 1 Peter 5:7 tells us “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
If, instead of relying on our own understanding, we choose to trust in the Lord with all our heart, we will experience His peace, which surpasses all understanding.
Verse 8
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.
Here’s the heart of the passage
Choose to think about things that are…
True - think about things that are in accordance with fact, in line with reality; not false or dishonest
Honorable - think about things that are appropriate, fitting, dignified, respectable
Right - think about things that are in accordance with God’s standard of righteousness
Pure - think about things that are without moral defect or blemish, things that are holy, worthy of God Himself
Lovely - think about things that are pleasing to God and others
Admirable - think about things that are commendable or worthy of approval
Excellent - think about things that demonstrate excellent character or virtue
Praiseworthy - think about things that are deserving of people’s attention and praise
We are to think
Thoughts that are in line with the character and purposes of God.
Thoughts that exalt the glory of God and seek the good of others.
Thoughts based on the truth of God’s Word and what He says.
The kind of thoughts that Jesus would think.
Our thoughts should be such that if they were displayed publicly before God and everyone, we would not be at all ashamed to have our thoughts exposed.
And the fact is that God knows our thoughts, even if no one else knows. David says to God in Psalm 139:2,
“You understand my thoughts from afar.” And a couple of verses later he says,
“Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD.” Before our thoughts have gotten to our tongues, God knows. He knows everything about us; nothing is hidden from Him.
So what does God see when He looks at your thoughts?
Are your thoughts honoring to Him?
Do your thoughts reflect His character?
Verse 9
9 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.
Paul again tells them to learn from his example and follow him in obedience to Christ. He had already told them back in 3:17,
17 Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.
9 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.
Then, not only will you have the peace of God, you’ll have the God of peace.
How does v. 8 connect to everything in this passage?
Right thinking leads us to persevere in hope and faith (1)
Right thinking leads us to pursue right relationships with other believers (2-3)
Right thinking leads us to rejoice even in the midst of suffering (4)
Right thinking leads us to treat others - even our enemies - with gentleness and kindness. (5)
Right thinking leads us to remember the Lord’s presence and promises. (5)
Right thinking leads us to trust Him with our cares and concerns (6)
Right thinking leads us to be thankful even when times are tough (6)
Right thinking leads us to pray (6)
Right thinking leads us to experience God’s peace (7)
Right thinking leads us to follow godly examples (9)
1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you must stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
2 I urge Euodia and Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.
3 Yes, and I ask you, my true yokefellow, to help these women who have labored with me for the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests 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 right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.
9 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.
The way that we think relates to everything in life. All of our life is affected by the way we think.
Again as Solomon so wisely put it, Proverbs 4:23
23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
So how do we get to the right kind of thinking?
Maybe a more basic question to start with is, where do our thoughts even come from? Have you ever thought about your thoughts? Where do they come from?
Thoughts don’t just happen or appear out of nowhere. It might seem like it sometimes.
Thoughts are formed by the information, influences, and experiences we take in.
We listen to certain kinds of music, and sometimes that music gets stuck in our head. But it couldn’t get stuck in our head if we never listened to it.
We watch certain shows, movies, or other entertainment, and then we talk about those things with our family or friends. We couldn’t talk about it if we never experienced watching or listening to the show. Those thoughts wouldn’t be there.
We spend time with certain people. The way that they talk and act affects us, and we often end up imitating both good and bad things. (Our kids show me that) We think certain thoughts and say or do certain things because of the influence of other people.
We may follow people on social media or spend time scrolling through posts or articles, reading arguments from strangers that have nothing to do with us, but then we have a hard time sleeping because we’re thinking about the news or about what we’ve read or seen online. Those thoughts came from spending time on social media.
We may spend significant time reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on God’s Word. We’ll find that Bible verses come to mind at just the moment we need them, whether for comfort or conviction. Those verses would not be there if we didn’t take the time to take in God’s Word.
So how do we get to the right kind of thinking?
The right kind of thinking that leads to the right kind of living is formed by spending time with God in His Word.
Paul says in Romans 12:2 that we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Our minds must be renewed so that we become the kind of people that He wants us to be. And the way that happens is by spending time with God in His Word.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
As we spend time in God’s Word, we get to know God. We learn what He is like, what He has done, what He promises to do, and what He expects from us. As we learn these things, they will gradually form our thinking to be more in line with His character and purposes, and then our whole life will be more in line with His will for us.
How does your time with God in His Word compare to the amount of time you spend
with your friends or family
on social media or watching the news
watching tv shows or movies
listening to your favorite music
All of these things can have their place, but if God’s Word is in last place behind all these things, is it any wonder our thinking is so messed up?
What if we spent more time in the Bible than we spend watching TV?
What if we spent more time in the Bible than on social media?
What if we spent more time in the Bible than we spend hanging out with our friends or doing our hobbies?
What kind of thoughts would we have then? What kind of people would we be?
I’m convinced that we spend far too little time in God’s Word and far too much time filling our minds with all kinds of other things.
Will you join me in making God’s Word a greater priority in your life?
Make a commitment to read through the whole Bible next year
Choose a passage or chapter to memorize
Join us for our Wednesday Bible study
Set an alarm to try to wake up early enough (before your kids!) to read your Bible
Listen to the Bible in the car or when you go for a walk
Get a good study Bible or commentary to help you understand the Bible better
Some things I do to take in God’s Word:
In March or April of this year, I started memorizing some passages: Psalm 145, 139, and just this past week started Romans 1. These verses often come to mind and have helped my thinking. In just over 6 months I’ve memorized almost 50 verses.
For the last 9 or 10 years at least, I’ve read through the whole Bible at least once each year. I’ve tried different reading plans and different translations to mix it up and keep it fresh and help me see new things.
I’ve also listened through the whole Bible each year for the past several years, sometimes multiple times in different translations. (I’d be happy to give recommendations for which ones were good and which ones were not so good!)
Obviously as a pastor, I prepare many messages, and I spend a lot of time meditating on and studying passages to prepare messages.
It may look a little different for you, depending on your stage of life, your responsibilities, your ability to read and listen to the Bible or memorize. But one way or another, you must be taking in Scripture.
Let God’s Word transform your mind, so that your thoughts are pleasing to Him and your whole life will be pleasing to Him.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
