Chew on This
Phil. 4:8-9
(Davon Huss, SC.com) Rules of chocolate (appropriate for post-Valentine’s Day):
•If you’ve got melted chocolate all over your hands, you’re eating it too slowly.
•Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.
•The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.
•A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn’t that handy?
•If you can’t eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can’t eat all of your chocolate, what’s wrong with you?
•What do we call equal amounts of dark and white chocolate: a balanced diet.
•Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.
•Put “eat chocolate” at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you’ll get one thing done.
Well today, we’re going to look at chewing on things, but not on chocolate.
Instead, we’re going to chew on the Word of God. Please turn with me to Phil. 4:8-9.
Paul is slowly wrapping up his love letter to the Philippians.
Today, he urges us to chew on and then live out godly principles/character.
•Actually the two go very much hand in hand.
(Mark Hiehle, SC.com) Imagine with me that you have a lemon in your hand. Feel how cold it is since you just took it out of the refrigerator. Feel the two knobs on the ends? Ok, now take a knife and cut the lemon in half. See the juice run down over the sides. Now, take and hold one half of the lemon so you can see the inside of it. Lean down and smell the fresh scent of a fresh cut lemon. Ok, now squeeze the lemon. See the juice ooze up? Now - lick the lemon. Ok, who has more saliva than you did a minute a go? How can that be? It’s because your body reacts to what your mind thinks about.
•That’s Paul’s underlying point in this passage.
Prayer
Paul uses specific grammar here to deliberately emphasize each point.
In every point, he urges us to think and behave as God’s chosen people.
•We could also title this message, “Behave yourself.”
There are 2 key points that Paul makes here.
I. HOW TO THINK
8FINALLY, (in addition to what I’ve already written, as for the rest of things) BROTHERS,
1. Chew on truth. WHATEVER IS TRUE,
The word here gives the idea of loving and speaking the truth.
Eph. 4:15 INSTEAD, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, WE WILL IN ALL THINGS GROW UP INTO HIM WHO IS THE HEAD, THAT IS, CHRIST.
Practically speaking, the best example of this is meditating on the truths of God’s Word.
•This also means practicing integrity, not giving in to lies, being honest.
2. Chew on honor. WHATEVER IS NOBLE (honorable, dignified, worthy of reverence)
1 Tim. 3:8 DEACONS, LIKEWISE, ARE TO BE MEN WORTHY OF RESPECT, (not just deacons)
Practically speaking, we need to be respectable in all our dealings.
•People should look up to us. We should chew on things worthy of honor/dignity.
3. Chew on righteousness. WHATEVER IS RIGHT (innocent, righteous),
Psalms and Proverbs are full of admonitions and blessings for the righteous.
Ps. 37:30-31 THE MOUTH OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN UTTERS WISDOM, AND HIS TONGUE SPEAKS WHAT IS JUST. 31THE LAW OF HIS GOD IS IN HIS HEART; HIS FEET DO NOT SLIP.
Pr. 10:28 THE PROSPECT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS JOY, BUT THE HOPES OF THE WICKED COME TO NOTHING.
Practically speaking, we need to think and do the right thing, not just “my” thing.
•We need to think on and practice innocence – avoiding anything evil or impure.
4. Chew on purity. WHATEVER IS PURE (free from defilement, holy, sacred),
Ps. 51:10 CREATE IN ME A PURE HEART, O GOD, AND RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME.
Ps. 119:9 HOW CAN A YOUNG MAN KEEP HIS WAY PURE? BY LIVING ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.
Mt. 5:8 BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD.
Practically speaking, we need to flee from immoral, impure thoughts.
•It means we avoid them like we do the doggie piles we see on the sidewalk, because they’re basically the same thing.
5. Chew on love. WHATEVER IS LOVELY (pleasing, agreeable),
Lk. 10:27 “‘LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND’; AND, ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”
1 Jn. 4:7-8 DEAR FRIENDS, LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER, FOR LOVE COMES FROM GOD. EVERYONE WHO LOVES HAS BEEN BORN OF GOD AND KNOWS GOD. 8WHOEVER DOES NOT LOVE DOES NOT KNOW GOD, BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE.
Practically speaking, we need to be pleasant and agreeable in our demeanor/personality.
•We need to be charming, demonstrating genuine love as Christ has shown to us.
6. Chew on character. WHATEVER IS ADMIRABLE (of good report, good reputation)
Whatever has integrity, honor, character.
1 Tim. 3:7 (Elders) HE MUST ALSO HAVE A GOOD REPUTATION WITH OUTSIDERS, SO THAT HE WILL NOT FALL INTO DISGRACE AND INTO THE DEVIL’S TRAP. Again, this isn’t just for elders.
Practically speaking, we need to work at achieving and maintaining a good reputation.
•People should be able to say only good things about us.
Paul now changes his sentence construction to “if”, implying a condition.
IF ANYTHING IS EXCELLENT OR PRAISEWORTHY
“If there’s such as thing as these 6 virtues in the world, which of course there is…”
He sums up, then, his six virtues with these 2 words.
•Having said that, I’m going to add them to our list of things to chew on.
7. Chew on excellence. Moral goodness, mental excellence, virtue.
Col. 3:17 AND WHATEVER YOU DO, WHETHER IN WORD OR DEED, DO IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE FATHER THROUGH HIM.
Practically speaking, we need to think about doing and being our best, in everything.
•After all that God has given us, doesn’t He at the very least deserve our best?
8. Chew on praise. OR PRAISEWORTHY (worthy of praise)—
Ps. 18:49 I WILL PRAISE YOU AMONG THE NATIONS, O LORD; I WILL SING PRAISES TO YOUR NAME.
Heb. 13:15 THROUGH JESUS, THEREFORE, LET US CONTINUALLY OFFER TO GOD A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE—THE FRUIT OF LIPS THAT CONFESS HIS NAME.
Practically speaking, we need to praise God in and for everything.
•We need to have an attitude of gratitude, be eternal optimists.
Chew on truth, honor, righteousness, purity, love, character, excellence, praise.
THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS. Consider them carefully. Make them a habit of thought.
Rom. 12:2 DO NOT CONFORM ANY LONGER TO THE PATTERN OF THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND.
Before we leave this list, there are 4 implications we need to understand.
Four Implications of verse 8:
1. Virtue isn’t limited to the Christian life.
The things Paul lists here can also be found in the world at large.
•The Greek philosophers aren’t totally wrong in saying this present world is good.
There’s another point we need to make here, especially in light of the 21st Century.
2. Absolute morality does exist.
We’ve heard today’s mantra again and again – “there are no absolutes”.
•Everything’s subjective, if it’s good for you, okay. They’re absolutely wrong.
•Even outside the Christian realm, people recognize there is a law of morality/virtue.
•And this Law isn’t just a vague concept. It’s practical and beneficial to society.
(Frank Thielman, NIV Application Commentary, NT: Philippians, 225. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, © 1995) “Christian standards of morality and beauty are not simply expressions of subjective feelings but truths graciously revealed from God for the welfare of his people and of all creation.”
There’s a third point I need to make here as well.
3. What we chew on determines who we are.
Prov. 23:7 (NAS) FOR AS HE THINKS WITHIN HIMSELF, SO HE IS.
Mt. 12:34 FOR OUT OF THE OVERFLOW OF THE HEART THE MOUTH SPEAKS.
Mt. 15:19 FOR OUT OF THE HEART COME EVIL THOUGHTS, MURDER, ADULTERY, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, THEFT, FALSE TESTIMONY, SLANDER.
“You are what you eat.” “You also are what you think.”
What do you spend your time chewing on? Work/family/worry/immorality/self?
•FOR AS HE THINKS WITHIN HIMSELF, SO HE IS.
4. Thinking about these things isn’t enough.
•Thinking alone will not get us to heaven or improve our relationship with God.
Thinking about good things is only beneficial when we act on what we think.
How we think determines how we act!
II. HOW TO ACT
9WHATEVER YOU HAVE LEARNED OR RECEIVED OR HEARD FROM ME, OR SEEN IN ME— PUT IT INTO PRACTICE.
1. Practice what we have learned.
The idea here is learning from someone else’s example as well as from his/her teaching.
“Do as I say and do.”
Phil. 3:17 JOIN WITH OTHERS IN FOLLOWING MY EXAMPLE, BROTHERS, AND TAKE NOTE OF THOSE WHO LIVE ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WE GAVE YOU.
We’re to follow the example of godly men/women and practice what they preach.
2. Practice what we have heard.
Jas. 1:25 BUT THE MAN WHO LOOKS INTENTLY INTO THE PERFECT LAW THAT GIVES FREEDOM, AND CONTINUES TO DO THIS, NOT FORGETTING WHAT HE HAS HEARD, BUT DOING IT—HE WILL BE BLESSED IN WHAT HE DOES.
Illus. I often receive compliments on my sermons after the service.
•While I appreciate the encouragement, I would trade a thousand “nice sermon’s” for just one person saying “I’m going to put into practice what you preached”.
•That’s what I’m here for. That’s what we’re all here for – to do what God says.
3. Practice what we have seen.
Imitate godly men/women. Follow in their footsteps.
Acts 4:20 FOR WE CANNOT HELP SPEAKING ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD.”
Illus. How do you learn a new skill or trade?
•By studying it and seeing someone do it and then doing it yourself.
We learn by education, example, and experience.
That’s what Paul is saying. Take all you’ve learned and observed and PUT IT INTO PRACTICE.
Illus. “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”
•Here, we have “Learn to do good, hear the good, see the good, do that which is good.”
Don’t just think about good things. Practice godly things.
2 Cor. 10:5 … WE TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT TO MAKE IT OBEDIENT TO CHRIST.
Mt. 7:24 THEREFORE EVERYONE WHO HEARS THESE WORDS OF MINE AND PUTS THEM INTO PRACTICE IS LIKE A WISE MAN WHO BUILT HIS HOUSE ON THE ROCK.
Jas. 1:22 DO NOT MERELY LISTEN TO THE WORD, AND SO DECEIVE YOURSELVES. DO WHAT IT SAYS.
1 Jn. 3:18 DEAR CHILDREN, LET US NOT LOVE WITH WORDS OR TONGUE BUT WITH ACTIONS AND IN TRUTH.
III. THE RESULT OF RIGHT THINKING AND ACTING
AND THE GOD OF PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU.
We looked at God’s perfect peace last week.
Paul takes the thought of vv. 4-7 one step further.
•Speaking of guarding your hearts and minds, this is what you should fill your hearts and minds with: truth, honor, righteousness, purity, love, character, excellence, praise.
•And don’t stop there. Don’t just think about these things. Put them into practice.
When we practice joy and gentleness and contentment and prayer and thanksgiving, when we put into practice what we’ve learned and observed, only then can we truly discover and experience God’s perfect peace.
God’s peace will rest and remain on us.
Ps. 15:1-5 LORD, WHO MAY DWELL IN YOUR SANCTUARY? WHO MAY LIVE ON YOUR HOLY HILL? 2HE WHOSE WALK IS BLAMELESS AND WHO DOES WHAT IS RIGHTEOUS, WHO SPEAKS THE TRUTH FROM HIS HEART 3AND HAS NO SLANDER ON HIS TONGUE, WHO DOES HIS NEIGHBOR NO WRONG AND CASTS NO SLUR ON HIS FELLOWMAN, 4WHO DESPISES A VILE MAN BUT HONORS THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD, WHO KEEPS HIS OATH EVEN WHEN IT HURTS, 5WHO LENDS HIS MONEY WITHOUT USURY AND DOES NOT ACCEPT A BRIBE AGAINST THE INNOCENT. HE WHO DOES THESE THINGS WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN.
•Because he will rest in God’s perfect, incomprehensible peace.
What are you chewing on? What are you filling your mind with?
Is it true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy?
•Or is it impure, immoral, dishonest, embarrassing, selfish, sinful?
Are you leaving here every Sunday committed to doing what you’ve been taught?
And are you putting into practice what you chew on?
•Actually you are. Our actions will reveal what we’re really thinking.
You can be sure that whatever you are chewing on will show in your life.
The Bottom Line: What we think will show in how we act.
Let’s recommit ourselves again to meditating on God and living out what we chew on.
Prayer/Reflection
Hymn 568 (vv. 1-3)May the Mind of Christ, My Savior
Ps. 19:14 MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH AND THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART BE PLEASING IN YOUR SIGHT, O LORD, MY ROCK AND MY REDEEMER.
Sermon Outline and Power Point are available by emailing the author.
