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Message
Philippians 4:8
You Can Be Perceptive
My grandfather - progressively started going blind from his 70’s … lived to early 90’s.
Dutch … stubborn.
He would listen to what was going on around him.
He had this saying …
I can nicht seen
But I know!
We used to laugh … we were much younger then.
But thinking about it later I realised he was actually really wise.
Lots of people have fantastic eyesight.
But they can’t see the most obvious things.
Eg.
Son who comes home with report card … 5 “A’s” 1 “A-“.
How come you got the “A-“?
Can't the Dad see what he is doing?
Eg.
Young Love starting
The woman is attracted.
The man has no idea!
Someone needs to show him the obvious.
The same thing can happen in our spiritual life.
We see God’s creation.
We see the impact of transformation … for old to new.
We see the Scripture and can read it.
We see how our lives and reactions are.
But are we really seeing?
Do we really understand what is going on?
Do we know how to filter all this “grace” and “forgiveness” and “eternal life” information?
Well Paul in Philippians is telling us that we can.
You Can Be Perceptive
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
How is this passage to work in our lives?
The structure of the message today is simple.
We will look at each word … see where else it works in Scripture … and then we will how we can be people who are perceptive.
Finally
Paul uses this word to bring a close teaching on an important Christian response - and then point attention forward to an action.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Ephesian 6:10
From 5:21-6:9 … how families and social structures should function.
Toward putting on the armour of God.
Finally, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
1 Thessalonians 4:1
Don’t just stop, even when you have got it all together.
Keep moving forward, keep growing, keep maturing.
Finally ... it is a call not to stagnate.
That is what Paul is doing here … be joyful, be gentle be at peace - that is great you are doing this - but keep pressing forward.
Press forward by stretching your thinking--let these things consume your mind.
Whatever is true
Acts 12
Context - Peter is meant to go to trial.
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
Then an angel comes and lets him out of prison.
In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Acts 12:18-19
It was a search for the truth.
What is real and genuine … not a cover-up. What are the facts … not the lies.
Always keeping in mind
1) The heart is deceitful above all things … who can understand it?
So you can't always trust your heart for the truth.
2) That the devil is the father of lies … when he lies, he speaks his native language.
But he disguises himself as an angel of light.
And his scheme is to deceive the elect.
So He seeks to distort the truths in your life.
Whatever is noble
Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
Titus 2:2
The call here is to age with dignity.
That the older we get the more people look up to us and respect us.
A distant Greek word is connected to the issue of alcohol consumption.
- allowing the effect of alcohol to make us intemperate.
- we have all see it in action … sadly.
Think about the things that stop you from losing control and losing your dignity.
Focus on that which will enable you to have such a character.
Whatever is right
Not “right” as in being correct.
Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 1:19
He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’
Matthew 20:4
In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Matthew 23:28
Combined meaning of these verses.
• Acting gracefully.
• Being unexpectedly generous.
• Recognising that a spiritual life is about a relationship that impacts your connection to others.
Another description is “righteousness”
Living God’s grace daily … think about this.
Whatever is pure
I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
2 Corinthians 7:11
In Christ we are guiltless and clean.
When we step outside of Christ we lose the purity … we become defiled, ceremonially unclean.
Concept is seen in the OT sacrificial system
… impurity meant an item couldn’t be used in worship at the temple.
… that which is pure was suitable and presentable
The call here is to think about whatever it is to help us focus on the sacred and holy.
In this visual age … what are the images we are going to allow to get into our minds and impact our behaviour.
Whatever is lovely
Let me teach you a new description … hapax legomenon
= a term of which only one instance of use is recorded.
In the Bible there are a lot of words like this.
The Greek literally translates as p??sf???? (pros-phi-lays) = “extending love towards another”.
Remember that there are different words for love in Greek.
This is the phileoo love.
The friendship love.
Think about the ways that you can extend friendship love towards another.
Think about what you would do for your friends.
There is no limit to what the extending of that love looks like.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends
John 15:13-14
Whatever is admirable
Another hapax legomenon
So looking at the literal translation e?f?µ?? (you-fee-moss)
Almost sounds like “you famous”
Which is kind of close to the meaning. The word means "good report".
In the time of Jesus when He first started ministry the news spread.
It is a similar idea … but getting our minds to focus on the good.
Not the gossip and slander.
Not the tearing down and speculating.
What is the sort of report that is going to lift the hearts of others and say “I’m glad I knew that”.
Think about those sorts of things.
If Anything is Excellent
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.
2 Peter 1:3,5
What are the excellent good things that God has done?
What give God renown and a high estimation?
What are god following virtues that are seen to be important … even by those who don’t follow God?
Think about the things that make such an impression in the lives of others that they cannot help but make note and be impressed.
Having a moral life which leaves a great taste behind.
If Anything is Praiseworthy
No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
Romans 2:29
Who are you when no-one is looking?
We can easily become all sorts of people.
Paul is talking here about having such a life that God … and only God seeing and knowing … starts to praise.
When God starts to praise, you know something significant has happened.
What are the sorts of things that God would cause God to say, “I praise that.”?
If there is something taking place in the God-praise category … thing about these things.
true
noble
right
pure
lovely
admirable
excellent
praiseworthy
That is a lot to think about … and it might even take a bit of work.
But imagine if you did.
Imagine that this was your perspective every day.
That you store up a volume of memory … like putting money in a savings account.
You know that it feels like to have more and more credit in your account.
These thoughts give so much.
You ponder and consider and allow these types of thoughts to keep going around in your mind. Seeing the consequences of the actions. Recognising the changes which they bring in the world.
That is what Paul is asking. Actually it is a command … an ongoing command.
Think about such things
Think, ponder, consider, weigh, build up a memory of - and keep on thinking, pondering, considering, weighing, and building up memories of - these things.
It doesn’t matter who you are.
It doesn’t matter what your situation, or back-ground or circumstances, or hardship, or pain, or suffering, or grief, or hopelessness, or whatever it is that is trying to take you down at the moment.
If you live like this in Christ you will have perspective.
You will see … and you will know.
Prayer
