Mental Health
Philippians 4:1 – 9
Preached by: JB Hall
• According to I Thessalonians 5:23 a person is made up of spirit, soul, and body. These three are inseparable components. In Genesis 2:7 we are told that “…the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…” and then it does not say man was given a soul, rather, it says “…and man became a living soul.” So then, what happens in one area affects the others.
• We live in a world today where mental and emotional problems have become epidemic. Given the integrated make up of man, it is often very difficult to determine the source of the problem, so the health experts choose to treat the symptoms rather than the cause. Mind altering drugs have become a billion dollar business.
• Knowing that man is a tri-dimensional being, we must not over-simplify the problem in trying to diagnose its source. We must be careful not to attribute all mental or emotional problems to sin or spiritual problems, as some are wont to do. We know that physiological problems can, and often do, cause mental or emotional instabilities. We dare not trivialize these possibilities, for in so doing, we may cause even greater damage to individuals.
• That being said, we also know that our attitudes, choices, and actions are often the instigating factors that trigger or sustain mental and emotional upheavals and volatility.
• According to Hebrews 4:12, only the word of God is capable of separating between these three components that make up a human being and discerning, or determining, the thoughts and intents of the human heart.
• Today we want to look at some of the intangible factors that can affect our mental and emotional health, and allow the word of God to search our lives to see if any of these are contributing to the lack of good mental and emotional health.
• In our text we find 8 factors that result in mental and emotional problems. Let’s examine each:
1. Phil. 4:1 – Unrighteous Lifestyle – Paul admonishes the brethren to stand fast in the Lord. After we have been saved and excited about God and His kingdom, we do not need to get laxed and gravitate toward the old lifestyle as some often do.
A. II Corinthians 6:17 says, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,” We need to remove ourselves from among the people who are affiliated with the unclean things. We also must not return to sample (touch) from time to time, those unclean things from which we have come out.
B. Ephesians 5:11 says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Our lives and words must stand in sharp contrast to the lifestyles of those who practice the unfruitful works of darkness.
C. In other words, we must stand fast in the Lord! Ephesians 5:15 – 16 say, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,” “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
D. It is not for the child of the Living God to resort back to participating in a lifestyle, or practices, that are forbidden in scripture, or are dishonoring to his Lord Jesus.
E. Practicing unrighteousness will result in mental and emotional trauma for the child of God and will preclude the peace of God in his life that God has intended for him.
F. After David had gone in to Bathsheba and was confronted by Nathan the prophet, in Psalm 51:12 he cries out to God, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;” David had not lost his salvation but he had lost the joy that accompanied it. Instead he was gripped with guilt and a feeling of being dirty. In verse 10 he pleads, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
G. A heart and mind soiled by sin produces intense mental and emotional unrest that cannot be resolved but by the sinner’s repentance and God’s cleansing.
H. Wouldn’t it be easier and much more pleasant to just stand fast in the Lord?
2. Phil. 4:2 – Uncooperative Spirit which leads to Unresolved Conflict – In pride we often demand our way to the disregard of the concerns or interests of other people. Pride causes us to be unwilling to be open to alternative options to accomplish our goals
A. Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.” The key to overcoming pride and arrogance is to replace it with a healthy fear of God. He is not interested in your way, but His.
B. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.” Shame, a mental and emotional stress that we do not need, is brought into our lives by pride, and an uncooperative spirit.
C. Philippians 2:2 – 4 say:
2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
D. God places a high priority upon unity, which is accomplished by humility.
E. An uncooperative spirit, caused by pride, brings shame, relational strain, and frustration, which produces mental and emotional stress that God never intends you to carry.
F. The solution, found in Verse 2 of Philippians 4, is to be of the same mind in the Lord. Again the factor that makes the difference is the presence of God and our mutual acknowledgement of His Lordship.
3. Philippians 4:3 – Uninterested Attitude – An unconcerned attitude of boredom with the lives of others, particularly as it relates to their service for the Lord, breeds depression and a sense of purposelessness.
A. In II Timothy 1:6 Paul informs Timothy, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee…” A ho hum attitude toward the things of God and the people of God will wreck havoc with our mental vitality. It will result in great depression, with a feeling that nothing really matters. The things of God are what give life its zeal and vitality. When we neglect their importance, we set ourselves up for mental and emotional problems that sometimes end in suicide because of the hopelessness this disregard brings.
B. Just as Paul instructs these Philippian saints to get involved by helping those who were laboring, we too must busy ourselves in the business of God with those who are bearing the burden of the day.
C. The cure for the depression of inaction and disinterest is action with intentionality, design, and purpose.
D. In other words, interest and action are choices. They are not things that just happen to you without your participation in the decisions.
4. Philippians 4:4 – Unattended Worship – A personal relationship with the Living God is not a work to be endured but a wonder to be enjoyed!
A. In John 4:23 we learn that “…the Father seeketh such to worship him.” God desires our worship. In Verse 24 we learn that “…they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
B. All too often we focus too much attention on the fashion of worship and neglect the fact of worship. Some take issue with singing old hymns, saying the church is not up to date. Some take issue with modern praise and worship music, saying the church is too given to change. Both are so preoccupied with the fashion of worship that the fact of worship gets lost in the dispute.
C. Sometimes we become so caught up in the day-to-day routines of life that our worship, our rejoicing in the Lord, is neglected. We are overwhelmed with all the routine responsibilities.
D. Sometimes the struggles we encounter are all consuming and, in the struggle, we seem to have no energy to devote to rejoicing. It seems that in hardship our joy is stolen.
E. Again, the choice, by intention, to rejoice in all things is commanded in I Thessalonians 5:18 which says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” While it may be difficult to give thanks for all things, it is possible, and even necessary, to give thanks in all things.
F. Rejoicing not only fulfills the command of our Lord, it brings the peace of God with it, realizing God does care, provide, and bring you through to the other side!
5. Philippians 4:5 – Unrestrained Appetites – Self –restraint is imperative in the life of a child of God. Unrestrained appetites bring the sense of being out of control. This is devastating to the mental stability of a person.
A. In order to have peace, one must feel he is in control of his own desires. Unhealthy and unrestrained desires are lusts. According to James 1:15, “…when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:”
B. Any unrestrained desire can lead to sin because it is not under the control, or authority, of the Holy Spirit in you.
C. In II Corinthians 10:5 we are reminded of the importance of “…bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
D. We must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bridle our desires so they do not become lusts that leave us out-of-control and therefore mentally and emotionally unstable.
E. As we bring our desires under control, though it may be a difficult task, our mental stability, self-worth, purpose, and direction re-emerge.
6. Philippians 4:6 – Unthankful Heart – We often come to God with a laundry list of requests, to the exclusion of expressions of appreciation.
A. While God instructs us to bring all our cares to Him and trust Him to attend to them, He also instructs us to approach Him, along with our list, in thankfulness.
B. In Psalm 103:2 we are told to “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” Verses 3 – 19 of that Psalm list many of those benefits.
C. We are not to become so engrossed in our needs and wants that we fail to recognize and acknowledge the benefits of God.
D. When our hearts are overburdened with cares to the neglect of the recognition of benefits, we become very anxious, stressed, fearful, frustrated, and we have no peace of mind. This brings tremendous mental anguish that God does not want us to suffer.
E. The answer to this dilemma is to make sure that when we come to Him with our concerns, we make sure we do not neglect to call to remembrance all His benefits to us, and thank Him for them. This may seem a little uncomfortable at first, especially when we are in such great need, but in the long run it will work its purpose, to set our minds and hearts at ease.
7. Philippians 4:8 – Unholy Thoughts – The mind is our valley of decision. It is in the mind that actions are formulated and choices are made concerning the courses of action we will take.
A. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Here, in Phil. 4:8, we are instructed how to accomplish this. By choosing to think on the things that have virtue, to the exclusion of the things that do not, our minds will be satiated with thoughts that equip us to make sound, biblical decisions that will result in blessing in our lives and the lives of those we influence.
B. Convexly, when we fill our minds with impure images and ideas, we cloud our ability to see things as they really are, and our decision-making abilities are confused.
C. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” If truth makes us free, then it stands to reason that falsehood binds us.
D. Mental health and vitality depend upon our knowing and living truth. The path to knowing and living truth is to guard your thought life and to allow only those things that are pure to occupy your mind.
8. Philippians 4:9 – Unfruitful Life – It is not enough to just learn, to increase in knowledge. We are commanded to put our knowledge to practical use.
A. Contrary to popular opinion, knowledge alone is not growth. Growth only occurs as we take the knowledge we have gained and begin to act upon it.
B. Knowledge without action produces a state of mental and emotional confusion. We understand the concept but have not made it a practical part of life, which confuses our mind. God has designed our mind to accept truth, which means knowledge translated into action.
C. When this is not happening, we do not have the peace of God. Instead of peace, we have purposelessness.
D. Truth must be lived to have purpose. We must have purpose to have mental health.
E. Again, the answer is to get busy!
• We have just learned 8 factors that result in mental and emotional upheaval, tension, and instability. They are:
1. Unrighteous Lifestyle
2. Uncooperative Spirit which leads to Unresolved Conflict
3. Uninterested Attitude
4. Unattended Worship
5. Unrestrained Appetites
6. Unthankful Heart
7. Unholy Thoughts
8. Unfruitful Life
• Philippians 4:7 – To deal with these areas of our lives that impact our mental and emotional state, in a biblical way, will allow the peace of God to “…keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
• In other words, there are some areas that directly affect our mental and emotional health over which we have some control.
• By making the right choices and taking the right action in these areas, we can make great strides in developing strong, stable mental wellness, and God will be glorified in the process.
• Has the word of God identified an area in your life today, over which you have control, which is bringing negative influences to bear on your mental and emotional health? Will you make the choice, right now, to correct this area by bringing it into conformity to the word of God?
• However, if you have examined these areas of your life, and have found yourself to be in God’s will in each, and are still having mental or emotional issues; perhaps you should consult a medical doctor.
• Your mental or emotional difficulties may be the result of a physical problem.
• We must be careful not to misdiagnose a mental or emotional problem.
• In our sermon, we have dealt primarily with factors within our control – factors that require us to make a choice in order to correct our problem.
• But, there are problems that are beyond our control that can cause mental/emotional difficulties.
• These are usually due to some physical malfunction in our body.
• So, accurately diagnosing your problem is the key to finding the right solution.
