Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro - Replicate/Duplicate

I explained to the kids about that seed and the word “replicate” came to mind this week, but then I got to thinking, is it replicate or duplicate?

Then I thought about it like this.

When I was a kid, I loved my Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars.

I had two different cases of cars.

Now my race cars were something totally different, but my Matchbox cars were awesome.

My buddy Wesley Lineberry and I, would get out a bunch of our cars and we’d set things up like we were driving our cars around town.

A box would be our house or a cabinet would be the office space we worked in.

I always had favorites that I would play with.

One of them was a Ford Cobra.

It was cool because it was red, the hood came up and it looks like a race car and, as long as it has four wheels and you can race it, then it’s a race car and race cars will always be the coolest thing every, all day, every day, in my book.

I remember when we would buy these things from the store.

On the outside of some packaging it would say “replica.”

As if someone actually thought they were getting the real thing.

It is only a replica of a Ford Cobra.

Now if I could make the real thing appear, then I would be happy, but what I have here is a replica.

Now a Ford Cobra was something that someone could buy a kit and take a frame from other car and put a bunch of parts on it, like it was a Cobra.

I reality, that was cool and could save you a lot of money, but it wasn’t the real thing.

At best, it was a duplicate.

I had a replica.

You might be thinking, that’s great Brandon.

Thanks for sharing you toys with us.

There is a point to the cotton and to the little Matchbox car.

It’s all about replication and what is being replicated in you.

Or my question is, are you living a life that is worth replicating?

Has anyone modeled a life worth replicating to you and you’ve tried and failed, knew you would fail and didn’t try, or gave up over time?

Body

Paul

Paul’s letter to the Christians who resided in Philippi is a nice letter to read.

It’s not a passage that is filled with condemnation, correction, or chastisement.

It is a letter that is really an overview of what it look likes to live out kingdom of God, here on earth.

Essentially, if we took the kingdom principles of the kingdom of heaven, and put them to practice here on earth, this is what they would look like.

There are a lot of verses that we have pulled out of Philippians over the years, and they are verses that work well on t-shirts, bumper stickers, on a meme, a social media post or for a quick Bible lesson or devotion.

As a was reminded this week, while doing some reading, these verses are sentences that are grouped with others sentences to make a story or a point.

We shouldn’t be so quick to rush and pull

or

from its rightful place among the entire passage or the entire book in which it was written.

So rather than just preaching verses 8 & 9, I want to go back and grab some context.

As Paul is wrapping up this short letter, here in chapter four, he starts off with

So, some closing thoughts here and this first swing of the hammer to drive home his point is “stand firm.”

Yet, then in the next verse he is encouraging two women to agree.

Now, I know that these were Christians in a church, because apparently there was something that they struggled to agree upon.

We don’t know exactly what that dispute was.

Some have speculated, you could even use the following verses as a way to piece together what the issue was, but suffice it to say that there was an issue and Paul encouraged the rest of the church

So, if they are

Philippians 4:

So, if they are

Then he begins to share the rest of his instructions of what kingdom life on heaven look like.

He says:

Rejoice in the Lord always - v.4

Let your graciousness be known to everyone - v.5

Don’t worry about anything, but through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - v.7

Then he instructs them about the things that they should set their minds upon

If you reading this with me and feeling the same thing that I am feeling.

I am led to believe there is some disunity among the church, especially among Eudoia and Syntyche.

Paul is giving them a way to, not necessarily come to a compromise, but to check the way they may have been treating one another.

So, he says “rejoice…always,” be “Gracious,” “don’t worry.”

Kingdom people have a kingdom mindset and even in conflict we seek what is good, we seek to find the blessing, we should seek to be gracious, and not to worry.

Listen, I can tell you one thing that I know about churches, especially a church with as many years as ours that is rooted in history and tradition: there are lot of different personalities.

With different personalities, come different ideas, opinions, thoughts, ways of thinking, ways of doing, questions, ways to motivate different people, some people complain a lot, some people are grateful for anything they get, some people you can ever please and some are just happy with littlest of things, some have a different taste in music or a different way that they learn.

Everyone is different.

When we come together as a church, we come together as one.

We make big decisions together.

We work together.

We can all have different points of view, different thoughts how things should be done, and we can disagree, but at the end of the day we should still treat each other with dignity and respect.

We should treat one another like family and we should show grace, and rejoice, and be thankful.

Then he moves into the final words that I really want to focus on this morning.

Paul gave the Philippians what they should set their minds.

Not on what they don’t have, not on conflict, not on how something didn’t get done, or ministry event that didn’t make sense to them.

Paul said whatever is “true.

True

There are many things in this world that are deceptive, promising what they never can perform, offering a false peace and happiness which they can never supply.

Paul says we should always set our thoughts on the things that will not let us down.

Honorable

There are things in this world that are flippant, cheap, and attractive to those who never take life seriously, but it is on the things that are serious, dignified, and honorable which the Christian will set their minds.

Just

There has been a lot of talk in the news of just and social justice, but what Paul refers to here is giving what is due.

We can set our minds on pleasure, comfort and easy ways or we can set our minds on things which are just.

Christian thoughts are on duty to other people and to God.

Pure

The Greek word hagnos means morally uncontaminated.

When it is used ceremonially, it is described as that which had been so cleansed that it is fit to be brought into the presence of God and used for His service.

That is clean!

This world is full of things which are sordid and shabby and soiled and smutty.

We can develop ways of thinking that soils everything, or we as Christians, as kingdom-minded people set our minds on things that are pure.

Williams Barclay said, “The Christian’s thoughts are so clean that they can stand even the scrutiny of God.”

Lovely

There are those who set their minds on vengeance and punishment.

It will cause bitterness and fear.

There are those who set their minds on criticism and rebuke.

It will result in resentment in others.

Christians set their minds on the lovely things - kindness, sympathy, patience - so they are winsome people, whose presence inspires the feelings of love.

Lastly, he says

Commendable

Or maybe your translation has honorable.

It is a person of good report.

There are far too many ugly and false words and impure words in this world.

On the lips and in the minds of Christians, there should be only words which are fit for God to hear.

He said we should dwell on these things.

How here is the deal.