The Whatsoevers

Scripture Phillippians 4:1-8

Philippians 4:1–8

1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Intro

Did you know that the average person has 10,000 separate thoughts each day? That works out to be 3.5 million thoughts a year.

Every moment of every minute in every hour of every day, we are thinking. You are even thinking right now. The daily Newspaper gives us things to think about, the cable TV is full of things to think about; even the car radio has things to consider. With a sea of information around us, what SHOULD our thoughts be focused on?

Are we simply thinking without control of what we think? Are we simply a victim to outside forces, or can we control our thoughts?

For the one who is serious about following Jesus, it can sometimes be hard to know what to do. Here is concrete instruction for the transformation that comes from the renewal of the mind (Ro 12:1-3). It could also be called a way to abide in Christ (Jn 15).

The mind is the starting point for behavior. When the evil one wants to entice a person to sin, he starts in the mind. He speaks lies and condemnation until he gets the emotional response that he is looking for. Then he whispers suggestions of ways to calm or alleviate the emotion that would cause the person to disobey God in some way.

But Paul gives the Philippians a way to beat Satan at his own game. Instead of waiting for Satan, the world, or your own brokenness, feed your mind with good things, positive things, godly things. Think about Christ himself. Be present with God in this moment. Watch the emotions follow, and the godly behaviors after that.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Philippians 4:8

#1 “Finally, brothers and sisters,” Paul has written a rich letter with both the indicative and imperatives of the faith. Now he finishes with a powerful imperative for his fellow Christians in Philippi.

#2 “whatsoever is true,” All the other whatever’s hinge on this one. Anything they “think about” must be true. Satan would have us think about his lies. God would have us counter the lies with the only thing that can counter them, the truth, and then think about these things.

#3 “whatsoever is honest” There is nothing honest about satan and the darkness. Let our thoughts fall into the category of the honest, and of high moral principles.

#4 “whatsoever is just,” Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. This simply means loving what is just, and doing what is just because is it just right. In order to do just, one must think about what is just.

#5 “whatsoever is pure, lovely, whatever is good report—if anything is virtue (excellent or praiseworthy)—think about such things.” The rest of the list is meant to be all-encompassing. This is active work, and the main point is that as we are to think about these things, and we are not thinking about the things of darkness.

1. Analyze Your Input

2. Begin to Memorize Scripture

3. Remember: You’re not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.

Proverbs 23:7 reads, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Closing

You Have the Power!

One final word and I am done. If you are a Christian, you have within you the power to obey this command. You can literally change your mind if you want to. How? By remembering that all that is best is embodied in a Person! I speak of Jesus Christ.

He is the Truth! He is the Most Noble Son of God! He is the Standard of Righteousness! He is the Fountain of Purity! He is Altogether Lovely! He is the Admirable Savior! He is the Source of All Virtue! He is the One Whom God Entirely Approves!

f you link yourself with him, you are joined with the highest moral power in the universe. He is the embodiment of everything Paul has commanded us to do.

If you link yourself with Jesus Christ, you are joined with the highest moral power in the universe.

It’s all in Jesus. All virtue, all beauty, all holiness, all truth, all that is good and right is found in him!

Think on these things! This is not some abstract philosophy but a call to a personal relationship. If Christ is in your thoughts, then all these things must also be there.

So, then, my brothers and sisters, my exhortation is simple. Hold on to Jesus! Think about him! Rest in him! Live in him!