Keeping the Peace (pt. 2)

Simple Concepts

Christian life can boil down to thoughts and actions - what guides yours?

Unified thoughts, Spiritual Stability - much needed

1) The Christian Thought Life

Who do you spend most time with? Yourself

What do you think about? How do you decide what you think about?

FOCUS IS ON THE WORD AND ITS TRUTH

Proverbs 23:7 NASB95

For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

WHATEVER IS

True - truthful, dependable

God is the only source of, and test for, truth

He never changes, and neither does His truth - moral standards, too

John 3:33 - God is true; Titus 1:1-3 - God cannot lie; and others...

If we don’t understand truth, the rest of this will not function

We are sinners - Truth; God’s truth determines the remedy

Susceptible to Satan’s lies

We must treat everything by God’s Word, not feelings or what “works”

Personal:

I’m worthless

God could never use me

I need to look like this or I need to be this successful, or _____________

TRUTH - God measures your worth by having sent Jesus

God uses sinners to exact His will. Always has

God measures beauty from the inside out - and our thought life is definitely on the inside - How “beautiful” are our thoughts??

Culturally

Tolerance and “going with the flow”

*Closer you are to God, the more sin bothers you, even the slightest

Culture and the slowly boiling water, frog in the pot

Honorable - worthy of respect, honor

Spoken of pastors and deacons - 1 Tim 3; Women - 1 Tim 3:8; older men, mature in faith - Titus 2:2

A distinct group of people; Paul applies it to believers here! YOU!

There is lots in this world that are dishonorable, undignified, certainly not respectful

Can’t always avoid it, but we need not be fixated on it

Primarily, we are to be serious - careful what we laugh at, are entertained by, influenced by, to take our seriousness of God away - clean humor is fine, of course - Jesus used it (camel and eye of needle)

Right - just, a “quiet justness”

This word is used of God Himself in Rom 3:26 and 1 John 2:29, and Jesus in Acts 3:14, 7:52

To think on God is to think on His righteousness, and to allow His mindset to permeate ours, to infiltrate ours - REM Phil 2:5-8 - God’s righteousness has been revealed in Jesus Christ

Pure - “holy,” set apart

We’ve spent much time on this concept, this truth

Here, it’s morally, keeping our bodies free from sexual immorality

Prohibition against adultery still holds, and Jesus expands on this: Look at someone lustfully...

Prohibition against murder still holds, and Jesus expands on this: Hate your brother...

Thoughts are powerful, create incredible images - (reading a book better than seeing the movie) - Our bodies tend to follow our minds...

Our minds fill in the blanks, especially if those “blanks” are not filled with the Spirit, and thinking as Christ would

Lovely - attractive, “lovable,” not a physical meaning

Think in ways that would make you pleasurable to be around

Luke 6:45 - what you put in will come out, what is the result of your thoughts? Pleasurable?

Are they pleasurable to people whose thoughts are like those of Christ? (because they can be attracting the wrong kind of people)

We can be attracted by what is evil, and get sucked in

Challenge to be “lovely” in the middle of a dark place and time, and we still need to interact, and we need to be the influencers

Commendable - Of Good Repute - Admirable - “not to offend”

1 Cor. 13 speaks of loving the brother, giving the benefit of the doubt, until there is evidence to establish evil

We hope people give us the benefit of the doubt - what are we characterized by?

IF Any Excellence - moral, virtue

As a Christian, first thing is to stop doing and thinking in ways that go against God’s moral character, His character as revealed in HIS WORD! - TRUTH! - even if we don’t quite like it

Christians persisting in these anti-God thoughts will not mature. Focus our minds on His virtue and values - It takes EFFORT to evaluate

IF Anything Worthy of Praise - praise of God, not self

Think DAILY on His goodness, what He has done

Focus on others, based on their being in the image of God - Some make this hard

Granted, some will need to be avoided, Bible says as much

ALL THESE SEEM TO BE SELF-EXPLANATORY - details for each will vary

Mindset of Christ - HOW?

Know the Word of God so well that it becomes THE filter to manage our thoughts and actions

Filters, Influences

Removing boundaries that we put up, boundaries to peace

Worry, fret, fear, anger, bitterness, conflict

Worry vs true (? 8% of stuff worried about could be harmful)

THIS IS NOT - Power of positive thinking

Sometimes (often) the bible presents us with commands that seem negative, because they are

Sin, Jer. 17:9 and the heart

Society today - reward the good, ignore the bad

BIBLE - CORRECT the bad, and the good is our response to God, rewarded eternally

Christians today - want to “sign up” but not really participate - we need them to, and it starts with the mindset, as in chapter 2 - like Christ

Psalm 37:4 NASB95

Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

THINK ON THESE THINGS - Careful consideration

2) Practical Practice (key word, practice, over and over until it sticks)

Knowledge with no action - just head knowledge

Action with an improper focus on God - just activity, no glory to God

The church is to cultivate these - this should be a place where strong Christian living grows, matures, and is seen - For His glory

Paul was the example, or at least one example, to this church - I hope I am one here, but I also hope you are, too.

We all have a captive audience, people who see us and decide about Christ.

RESULT: God of Peace, with you

The orderly life, in accordance with God’s will

Not material blessing, prosperity, problems “fixed,” etc. - “Miracle at the door, receive it!”

Rearrange thoughts, priorities, SO THAT God can work peace in you

See the good that God works in each other, in situations.

KEYS:

Proper disciplined thoughts

Purposeful Christian living

WHEN you think about these things, and...

WHEN you put them into practice...

You WILL enjoy the presence of the LORD

God of peace WILL be with you - PROMISE

This last section, verses 1-9

Anxiety? Pray

Disorderly life? Mental and practical discipline

Yes, it’s a struggle - the way to get through it is to manage your thoughts, shaped around Christ

And when we do this together - true friendships develop

Not just friendships of convenience, when there is some benefit, but a perfect form, united around a mindset that is of Christ - able to weather any storm

Storm is here

Church - strong, or fold - I SAY STRONG - We need the God of peace, AMEN!