The Transformed Church
Philippians 4:8-9
The word “think” or “meditate” means to consider, reflect, reason, and ponder. The idea is that of focusing our thoughts until they shape our behavior. The truth is:
⇒what we think is what we become.
⇒where we have kept our minds is where we are.
⇒our thoughts shape our behavior.
⇒what we do is what we think.
William Barclay says, “...it is a law of life that, if a man thinks of something often enough and long enough, he will come to the stage when he cannot stop thinking about it. His thoughts will be quite literally in a groove out of which he cannot jerk them” (The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, p.97).
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
The apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans and Philippians under the inspiration of God. God knows how we humans are and quite often what we think on is wrong. It could be how we were raised, the events that have happened in our lives, our perception of the situation or person all could be wrong.
For example if we took a test today and asked the question are men smarter than women? The truth is women have 40 more brain connectors from the left side of their brains to the right side and therefore able to multi-task more than men. Women typically are more emotional because they can more easily access the emotion center of the brain which is on the right side.
Men think left side, logic point A-B. Women are more relationship oriented. That’s why two young ladies out with their guys, one says I need to go to the restroom, the other one says I’ll go with you—Men would never say that…
So God wants us to understand we need to think right about Him, about ourselves and about other people. Wrong thinking leads to wrong feeling, and before long the heart and mind are pulled apart and we are strangled by anxiety that’s why the Bible mentions that in v.6. We must realize that thoughts are real and powerful, even though they cannot be seen, weighed, or measured. We must bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthian 10:5).
Someone wrote, “Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny!”
A Transformed mind is:
I. A Prepared Mind (v.8a)
In the book of Philippians the mind is used 7 times. God’s number for completion. The mind is spoken of as united with God and speaks to the church that we should be of the same mind. God wants our minds ready for the attack of the enemy. He wants our minds focused.
Another denomination has a commercial open hearts, open minds, that sounds good but it’s not biblical. Our hearts should be open to want God wants us to hear but no place in the Bible does God say open your minds. We are commanded to have the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5 says “Let this mind be in you, our minds should be focused on the truth of Scripture and closed to the world, the flesh and the devil.
A. Whatever is true
Dr. Walter Cavert reported a survey on worry that indicated that only 8 percent of the things people worried about were legitimate matters of concern! The other 92 percent were either imaginary, never happened, or involved matters over which the people had no control anyway. Satan is the liar (John 8:44), and he wants to corrupt our minds with his lies (2 Cor. 11:3). “Yea, hath God said?” is the way he approaches us, just as he approached Eve (Gen. 3:1ff). The Holy Spirit controls our minds through truth (John 17:17; 1 John 5:6), but the devil tries to control them through lies. Whenever we believe a lie, Satan takes over!
B. Whatever is noble and just
This means “worthy of respect and right.” There are many things that are not respectable, and Christians should not think about these things. This does not mean we hide our heads in the sand and avoid what is unpleasant and displeasing, but it does mean we do not focus our attention on dishonorable things and permit them to control our thoughts.
The KJV uses the word honest instead of noble. The word literally means honorable in character. Some are honest like Dennis the Menace. He caught his friend Joey trying to get a paper out of the machine without paying any money. He said, “Wait, Joey. First you have to put in the money... and then you can get all the papers you want.”
You and I have to have a Prepared mind ready for the attack standing on truth and living in this world with a honorable character.
II. A Pure mind (v.8b)
There is a constant temptation to give into impurity. Turn on your TV, walk by a magazine rack, check out of a Jiffy store and we our constantly being told that immorality is ok. What we fail to see is how deeply our world is being impacted by immoral behavior. For our own good God says think on:
A. Whatever is pure and lovely “Pure” refers to moral purity, since the people then, as now, were constantly attacked by temptations to sexual impurity (Eph. 4:17–24; 5:8–12). “Lovely” means “beautiful, attractive.”
B. Whatever is of good report means “worth talking about, appealing.”
The believer must major on the high and noble thoughts, not the base thoughts of this corrupt world…..Here we see the diff. between women and men or the diff. between estrogen and testosterone.
Estrogen is what makes women phys. Smaller, pretty, more nurturing, loving. Testosterone is what makes men, Bigger and Stupid.
If you have a boy and a girl you see this diff. My house we blame lots of things on testosterone. Why do boys not go down the ladder and just jump off the roof—testosterone—why do men go to the top of the mountain, black diamond—testosterone.
Unfortunately base thoughts drive men to think with testosterone and throw away the Godly wife because they don’t understand her. Remember women can think out of the emotional center of their brain. They can think out of their heart, mind and will. Let me illustrate:
Hypothetical situation but pretty close to home. Wife says it’s getting to be supper time I need to get the kids something to eat--thinking out of her heart. There’s no food--honey could you go to the store??? We are laying around in clothes we can’t where out so we begin to change--she keeps thinking out of her heart for having you go to the store--she shifts to her mind--I can find something here--here is some old bread, hard crust and some lunch meat, Honey NEVERMIND.
We change back. She then begins to think out of her Spirit--I must be a terrible mom, I can’t give these precious children old hard crust bread--Honey will you go to the store after all--We begin to change again knowing--she’s gone off the deep end.
She then begins to think out of her will--Wait a minute--when I was little girl we couldn’t just run to the store--I remember eating some hard crust bread--they can just rip off the crust--Honey--NEVERMIND.
Then we scream--MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!!
I say all this because there are some men who need to hear this today. Quit believing the lie that you deserve someone else. That thought is wrong and not of God. If you are a Christian husband you must get this in your head and in your heart you have it good. God’s given you a gift and that is your wife. Keep you mind pure, and how lovely she is and think and speak good things.
III. A Predetermined Mind (v.8c-9)
When we have a prepared mind and a pure mind we then have thoughts that set us on a Godly predetermined path. The Bible says in Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” (NKJ) God delights in our lives when we walk down the path He has laid out for us. Our minds then:
A. Are Focused on Virtue and Praise (v.8c)
If it has virtue, it will motivate us to do better: and if it has praise it is worth commending to others. No Christian can afford to waste “Mind Power” on thoughts that would tear us or others down if these thoughts were shared.
If you will compare this list to David’s description of the Word of God in Psalm 19:7–9, you will see a parallel.
The Christian who fills his heart and mind with God’s Word will have a “built-in radar” for detecting wrong thoughts. “Great peace have they which love Thy Law” (Ps. 119:165). Right thinking is the result of daily meditation on the Word of God. OUR MINDS..
B. Are Focused on Learning and Doing (v.9)
You cannot separate outward action and inward attitude. Sin always results in unrest and purity ought to result in peace. “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and peace” (Isa. 32:17). “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable” (James 3:17). Right living is a necessary condition for experiencing the peace of God.
Paul balances four activities: “learned and received” and “heard and seen.” It is one thing to learn a truth, but quite another to receive it inwardly and make it a part of our inner man (see 1 Thes. 2:13). Facts in the head are not enough; we must also have truths in the heart. In Paul’s ministry, he not only taught the Word but also lived it so that his listeners could see the truth in his life. Paul’s experience ought to be our experience. We must learn the Word, receive it, hear it, and do it. “But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).
“The peace of God” is one test of whether or not we are in the will of God. “Let the peace that Christ can give keep on acting as umpire in your hearts” (Col. 3:15, wms). If we are walking with the Lord, then the peace of God and the God of peace exercise their influence over our hearts. Whenever we disobey, we lose that peace and we know we have done something wrong. God’s peace is the “umpire” that calls us “out”!
Right thinking and right living: these are the conditions for having the secure mind and victory in life. As Philippians 4 is the “peace chapter” of the New Testament,
James 4 is the “war chapter.” It begins with a question: “From whence come wars and fightings among you?” James explains the causes of war: wrong thinking (“purify your hearts, ye double-minded,” James 4:8), and wrong living (“know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” James 4:4).
There is no middle ground. Either we yield heart and mind to the Spirit of God and practice right thinking and living; or we yield to the flesh and find ourselves torn apart.
Right thinking establishes our attitude about life and that attitude is evident to all. We are not fooling anyone people really do know the real us. That’s why our thinking has to be right so our attitude can be right.
An annoyed middle-aged woman approached the bookstore clerk and said, “Every time I come into this bookstore to buy a best seller you are always sold out. Why can’t you people learn to stock your store more efficiently?”
The clerk said, “I’m sorry.” “What is the title of the book you want to buy?”
The lady said, “It’s called, How To Remain Young And Beautiful.”
“Okay” said the clerk, “I’ll place your order for How To Remain Young and Beautiful, and I’ll MARK IT URGENT!”
Conclusion: Why is this important? Because our attitude is our emotional approach to life, it’s the lens that we see people, events and even us through. That’s why I believe the saying: “You are not what you think you are, BUT what you think…you are.
We can control out thoughts God spells that out here. Our feelings come from our thoughts, so we can control our feelings by changing the way we think.
“Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny!”
PRAY
