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Think About Thinking

Philippians 4:8-9 | November 10, 2019

What would you do with $10,000?

I was reading something this week that posed the following scenario:

Ray Pritchard

Suppose someone gave you $10,000 this morning and said, “Spend it any way you like as long as you spend it all before you go to bed tonight.”

• You can’t put it in your savings account
• You can’t put it in your retirement account
• You can’t hide it in your closet for last-minute Christmas gifts

You have to spend all of it by the end of the day.

Most of us would probably say:

• “Hey, no problem.”
• “I got plenty of things I could spend that on.”
• “And the preacher could probably eat 10K in bacon in one day.”

Here’s the flipside of that scenario.

It has been estimated that every single one of us have about 10,000 thoughts every day.

So, how are you going to spend your 10,000 today?

Most of us will not use our 10,000 thoughts in the same way.

There is a story told about two people and their very different trips to see the Grand Canyon many years ago.

The two people were an old preacher and a little boy.

The old preacher wrote a letter home to his wife and said:

Preacher

Today I've seen the handiwork of God. I've seen God as He put colors on His palette, and God as He took His fingers and sculptured a masterpiece.

The little boy wrote a letter home to his mom and said:

Boy
Guess what, Ma? Today I spit a mile.

They definitely had two different thoughts about the Grand Canyon.

How are you going to spend your 10,000 today?

30 years ago, one psychologist estimated that of those 10,000 thoughts you will have today about 200 of them will be negative.

Things like:

• Worry
• Jealousy
• Insecurity
• Cravings for the wrong things

That same psychologist estimated that people who are depressed have more like 600 negative thoughts every day.

So, is there any help for negative thoughts?

Is there any help to see the beauty of creation instead of just a long spit downhill?

Is there any help for how we think?

And does it really matter how we spend our 10,000 thoughts?

Does the way you think really change anything in your life?

Let’s find out.

Listen to Philippians 4, beginning with verse 8:

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute,

 

8 if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

• Dwell on these things
• Think on these things
• Spend your 10,000 thoughts towards these things

Could each one of those things be a sermon all by itself?

Sure.

Is your pastor known for spending 8 weeks on two verses?

Sure.

But not today.

Why?

Because in my reading someone triggered my mind to a super helpful reality.

These things are not difficult to understand.

So, even though Paul is challenging us to dwell on them all day long, we aren’t going to dwell on them too long in the sermon.

But we are going to dwell on them a little bit.

But before we do, I want to target those 600 plus negative thoughts that we face when we are depressed.

Stephen Altrogge (al-troh-ghee) is a husband, father, songwriter, musician and author of several books.

Stephen Altrogge

I’ve often said that depression is like wearing tinted glasses. Everywhere you look, things look dark. Bleak. Black. Hopeless. Helpless.

Stephen Altrogge

The waiting room for depression says, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.”

Stephen Altrogge

Depression usually causes a person to feel only gloom and despair, no matter what they’re thinking.

Many of us know exactly what that feels like.

But then he says this:

Stephen Altrogge

Reality is outside of my broken brain. It is defined by God’s word. It’s solid. Objective. Unchangeable. If I try to process my life or circumstances through the dark lens of depression, I will be terrified.

That is so hard for us to realize in the moment of depression, but reality is defined by the truth of God because only God is holy, holy, holy.

Reality is defined by the truth of God because only God was and is and is to come.

Are we going to be able to erase all 600 of those negative thoughts?

No.

But knocking them down a little – knocking off 100 or 150 of those negative thoughts goes a long way in the battle against depression.

And God’s truth is the most defining way to knock the down.

Stephen Altrogge

God is good. He is faithful. He loves you even though you don’t feel it. He can handle your life even when you can’t.

He goes on to quote Charles Spurgeon, who struggled with depression.

C.H. Spurgeon

A mouthful of sea air, or a stiff walk in the wind’s face, would not give grace to the soul, but it would yield oxygen to the body, which is the next best.

Altrogge expands on that thought:

Stephen Altrogge

If you’re depressed, embrace the sunshine. Go for a walk or a jog. Sit on your porch and feel the warmth on your face. Drink your coffee and watch the sun rise.

Stephen Altrogge

You won’t feel like it. You’ll want to hole up in the darkness of your room or stay in bed. But just twenty minutes in the sun can do wonders for the darkened brain and the sunken soul.

So, we can’t all get up and go take a walk outside together right now, but I do want to graciously invite you to come take a walk with your mind through God’s truth.

He has designed for us to see and remember and enjoy his truth in and through his book – the Bible.

And what does his book say to us?

It tells us to dwell on 8 valuable things.

And in this world of negative politics and extremely violent movies and ignorant and immoral TV shows and critical and mean social media posts, Paul gives us a valuable list of things to think about.

Walk with me and let’s think on them together.

Paul says:

8 whatever is true,

On any given week the highest grossing movie in theaters is often produced or defined by computer generated imagery – in other words, significant parts of the story or the characters or the action are things that are not real or are highly unlikely to happen in real life.

And millions of people spend two or more hours of their day or night immersing themselves into something that is not real.

Does that mean it is wrong to go see movies?

No.

It’s just a simple observation that as a culture we are heavily immersing ourselves into constant streams of fiction and fantasy and virtual reality.

From blockbuster movies to Christian fiction, we are starving ourselves of truth.

So how can we free our minds from those constant streams of fiction and fantasy?

By having a strong diet of thinking about things that are true.

And what’s true?

Jesus was praying for his closest friends and this is what he asked God the Father:

 

John 17:17 (AMP)

Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.

 

The world is full of fantasy and fiction.

Enjoy them in portions, but don’t dwell on those things.

Dwell on the things of God.

The things of God are true.

8 whatever is honorable,

Dwell on things that are worthy of respect.

Dwell on things that are serious and honorable and dignified.

From reality TV shows to college and professional sports to little league coaches on the field to retirees at the biscuit joint when the coffee is not hot, we live in a culture where far too often we find ourselves thinking or telling our kids or grandkids:

• “Don’t act like that.”
• “Don’t be like that.”
• “Don’t do what she does.”
• “Don’t talk like he talks.”

Colossians 3:2

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

There is plenty of arrogance and selfishness out there.

There are plenty of things that are not honorable.

Don’t dwell on those things.

Dwell on things that reflect the honor and greatness of our God.

8 whatever is right,

Someone might ask:

How do I dwell on what is right when there is so much wrong in the world?

How do I dwell on what is right when I hear so much news about sickness and crime and conflict and corruption and natural disasters every week?

Because our minds and heart and souls will shrivel up and feel dark and dead if we don’t strive to dwell on what is right.

This is what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed and happy and satisfied is the person that dwells on and is hungry and thirsty for being right with God.

Blessed and happy and satisfied is someone who takes God’s truth and God’s promises and establishes them as their greatest definition of what they believe is right.

Joni (Johnny) Eareckson Tada has been a quadrapeligic since a 1967 diving accident.

I’ve shared these words from her before, but they never lose their punch with my mind and heart:

Joni Eareckson Tada

I don’t know all the answers. And I’m not sure if I did that it would help. But I do know the One who has the answers. And knowing Him makes all the difference.

Joni Eareckson Tada

I’d rather be in this chair knowing Him than on my feet without him. If I’m to be held steady in the midst of my suffering, I want to be held not by a doctrine or a cause but by the most powerful Person in the universe.

There is plenty in this world that is wrong, and we can’t hide from it by camping out at home or church, but we don’t have to dwell.

Let us dwell on and be satisfied with what is right.

Let us thirst and hunger for the righteous that only comes from the most powerful person in the Universe.

8 whatever is pure,

We want pure water, pure air, pure food, pure medicine.

But our culture seems to care very little for pure conduct – very little for pure character.

I was reading a story this week from retired pastor Geoff Thomas who one day was looking at a picture hanging in their church of the elders and deacons of the church.

The picture had been taken at the wedding of one of the deacons and what immediately stuck out in his mind as he saw that picture was how that deacon had met his wife in the church and they had dated for 4 years and that wedding day picture reminded the pastor of the commitment that couple had made to each other – the first time they kissed was on that day.

That picture was a reminder of something that was pure.

That is not the norm – far too often young men want to openly live immoral lives, but then marry a pure, moral young woman.

Young women want to openly live immoral lives but get married in a pure white dress in a pure white church ceremony.

In other words, we like the idea of purity, but we don’t want to dwell on it and practice it ourselves.

This is what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

There are plenty of things in this world that are impure and immoral, and we can’t hide from them.

But we don’t dwell have to dwell on those things.

Dwell on things that are holy and pure.

Dwell on the things of God.

8 whatever is lovely,

Dwell on things that are pleasing and attractive.

Something becomes especially lovely when we see it in the setting of something difficult or tragic.

From the pain and agony and horror of the cross, we hear these words from our precious Savior:

Luke 23:34

Father, forgive them…

 

In the midst of unspeakable torment and impending death comes a lovely, penetrating voice of mercy.

Life is full of unattractive, unpleasing, horrible things.

Don’t dwell on those things.

Dwell on the things that are lovely, pleasing to the Lord and worthy of admiration.

8 whatever is of good repute,

Dwell on what is kind and appealing.

When William Cowper was very near death, the woman who was caring for him attempted to offer him some refreshment.

He replied:

“What can it signify?”

Those were his last words.

He was redeemed and saved but he ended life on this earth with words of despair.

But those are not the William Cowper words I choose to dwell on.

I choose to dwell on these:

William Cowper

There is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains.

There are plenty of offensive, discouraging and despairing things in life.

Do not dwell on them, but dwell on the kind and appealing things of God.

8 if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Which of these questions run through your mind:

• What do I not like about that person?
• What is he or she not doing?

Or…

What is excellent and worthy of affirming in that person?

Which of these questions run through your mind:

• What’s wrong that congregation?
• What do I not like about that church?

Or…

What is excellent and worthy of affirming about that church?

• Who are you a fan of?
• Who do you praise?
• Who are your heroes?

And who are you teaching your children and your grandchildren to be a fan of?

Who are you teaching them to praise?

Who are you teaching them to take as heroes?

Do you make men and women who are excellent and praiseworthy followers of Christ heroes in your life?

How do we know if men and women are praiseworthy Christians?

Because their life shows what they are dwelling on.

And what is the most excellent thing a Christian can dwell on?

1 Peter 2:9

…you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION,

 

And why should we dwell on that?

 

1 Peter 2:9

so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…

The most excellent and most praiseworthy thing we can dwell on is that through Jesus Christ we have been called out of the darkness of sin and death and transferred into the marvelous light of eternal life.

Paul is writing in the present imperative tense when he says, “Dwell on these things.”

That means he is graciously commanding that Christians dwell on these things.

And what gives him the right to graciously command us?

Listen to verse 9:

9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

What was happening to Paul as he writes this letter to his friends in Philippi?

He is a prisoner who has lost almost all of the normal comforts of daily life.

I love how Geoff Thomas describes this:

Geoff Thomas

…he has been in the spotlight in times of freedom when he was their pastor but now, he is pinned down under the scrutiny of guards and visitors in a prison cell.

Geoff Thomas

He is always there, never ‘out’ for a moment. He is always under observation.

Geoff Thomas

What have they been learning and hearing and seeing from his example? That the God of peace is still with him in jail, as in the pulpit or the Prayer Meeting.

Geoff Thomas

Paul lived consistently as a godfearing man. “So you live like this too,” he is saying. In other words, our text is a description of the normative Christian ethic. It is all wonderfully positive.

The normal Christian life is one that is dwelling on these things.

The normal Christian life is one that is supposed to be marked with a wonderfully positive excellence.

A perfectly wonderful positive excellence?

No – but it should be there in some way shape and form.

Why?

Because we have the one thing that is the greatest reality of what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and full of good repute and excellent and worthy of praise?

What is this great reality in our lives?

We have Jesus – for this and this and this and this and that we have Jesus – we have Jesus.

Stephen Altrogge

Ultimately, your hope in depression hinges on Jesus. He’s holding onto you even when it feels like you’re free falling.

Stephen Altrogge

You may be in the dark, but your Shepherd is walking right beside you. He knows what it’s like to be overwhelmed by grief and swallowed by bleakness.

Stephen Altrogge

Your grip on life may falter, but his grip on you won’t.

• That is true
• That is honorable
• That is right
• That is pure
• That is lovely
• That is of good repute
• That is excellent
• That is worthy of praise

Jesus will not lose his grip on you.

Dwell on that!

Dwell on that!

Dow Welsh |

November 10, 2019 © Holland Avenue Baptist Church

 

more |

Above are pre-sermon manuscript notes, not sermon transcript

Sermon scriptures NASB unless otherwise noted

Lots of help from many pastors and theologians

Weekly help from Bruce Hurt at www.preceptaustin.org

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-to-fight-for-faith-in-the-dark

https://dwellapp.io/

https://www.amazon.com/Unified-Unlikely-Friendship-Divided-Country/dp/1496430417

 

 

So what would you do with $10,000 I was reading this week? And interesting scenario is posed, and it goes like this. Suppose someone gave you $10,000 this morning and said, Spend it anyway you like? As long as you spend it all before you go to bed tonight. That's something, right? You can't put it in the savings account. Can't put it in retirement count. Can't stick it in a box in the closet for those last minute Christmas gifts. You can't do that. You got to spend all of it by the end of the day. Now most of us would say no problem. I got that covered. Yes. That's not going to be a hard thing to do. I can I can find some ways to do that. Yeah, I bet the preacher he could He could probably $10,000 worth of bacon in one day. So he's good to waken. Find a way to spend the money. We know how to spend the money. The flip side of that scenario goes like this. It has been estimated that every single one of us every single day have about 10,000 faults So, how you going to spin your 10,000 today? How are you going to spend your faults? More than likely, we're not going to spend our thoughts the same way. Everybody spends their thoughts a little differently. I saw on account of two people who went to the Grand Canyon many years ago and how different their visits to the Grand Canyon were. The two people were an old preacher and a little boy. The old preacher wrote a letter back to his wife. And this is what he said about his trip today. I've seen the handiwork of God. I've seen God is he put colors on his palate and God as he took his fingers and sculptured a masterpiece. Oh, boy, He he wrote home to wrote his mom a letter. And this is what his letter said. Guess what, Mock. Today I spit a mile. Two completely different thoughts of an experience at the Grand Canyon. We're going to have different thoughts from time to time. But how are you going to spend your 10,000 today? About 30 years ago, when psychologists estimated that of the 10,000 thoughts that we have every day about 200 of them are negative negative thoughts, things like worrying things like jealousy or insecurity, cravings for bad things or wrong things. And that same psychologists estimated that people who are struggling with depression probably have about 600 negative thoughts a day. That's a lot of negativity. That's a lot of negative thoughts. So is there any help for negative thoughts? Is there any help toe to move us in the direction of seeing the beauty of creation instead of just knowing that weaken spit a mile down in a game? Is there any help for what we do with our 10,000 volts? And doesn't matter that's really matter. What we do with our 10,000 thoughts does the way we think really make any difference in our life. Can't we just think whatever we want? The Apostle Paul, writing to some of his friends in a place called Philip? I was trying to help them think through some of those same questions, and he's going to help us today as well. Listen to Philippians, Chapter four, beginning with verse eight. Finally, brother, whatever's true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute if there is any excellence. And if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Dwell on those things. Think on those things. Spend your 10,000 thoughts towards those Thanks. Now, could each one of those things be a sermon all by itself? Yep, your preacher known to spend eight weeks on to Versace yet, but not this time. Not this time. And here's why. Those those things. There's there's eight of them if you separate them out. Those those eight things, As I read this week, they're not hard to understand. They're not difficult. At first glance, we kind of know exactly what these things mean. So even though Paul is going to tell us to dwell on these things, to think about him a lot, we won't dwell on them long in the sermon. But we will dwell on a little bit, but before we do, I want to get back just for a moment, to the 600 negative thoughts. I want to get back to these these moments, these these times of depression. Steven all tro GI is a husband, a father of songwriter, a musician's author of several books, and and he says this about depression. I've often said that depression is like wearing tinted glasses. Everywhere you look, things look dark, bleak, black, hopeless, helpless. The waiting room for depression says abandon hope all ye who enter here. And he says this depression usually causes a person to feel Onley, gloom and despair no matter what they're thinking. Most of us know that, that feeling right, and so here we have Paul saying, Hey, here's some things that need you to dwell on And then the reality is you put that in the context of depression and you have no matter what I'm thinking, it is painted too often with gloom and despair. Most of us know that feeling. We know what that feels like. But then he goes on and says, This reality is outside of my broken brain. It is defined by God's word. It's solid, objective, unchangeable. I try to possess, process my life. If I tried to process my life or circumstances through the dark lens of depression, I will be terrified. This is unbelievably simple map, God's word, His truth. It's solid, it's timeless, it's unchangeable, it's it's there, we can count on it, and that's why we turn our thoughts there because if we turn our faults, if we process everything through our fear and our depression, we will be terrified. We will be exhausted. We will be weary. That's hard for us to realize in the moment of depression, right? But the reality is, the reason that we turn to God's truth is because on Lee, God is holy, holy, holy And the reason, even though it's it's hard for us that our moments of depression and despair that we turn to God's truth is because God is the only one who waas and is and is too calm. And so our affections and our attention we we turn to the truth of God because there is no one like him now, well, turning our affections to the truth of God. Make those 600 negative thoughts go away. No, it's not. It's not a magic pill, but it will knock him down a little bit. And if you've been there to go from 600 depressing negative thoughts toe like 500 or 4 50 it makes a difference. Knocking them down a little bit has an impact on our heart and our mind and our soul and God, by his design, uses his truth as the way that we knock him down a little bit. Stephen goes on to say this God is good, He is faithful. He loves you, even though you don't feel it. He can handle your life even when you can't. This is our God. Holy, Holy Holy wasn't ISS and is to come. Therefore, he's the one who actually can handle it, and he is with us. Even if we can't, I feel it because that's who he is. Theme goes on. To quote a little Spurgeon Spurgeon, the faithful Baptist preacher in England, struggle with depression his whole life. It's what Spurgeon said, love this. A mouthful of sea air or a stiff walk in the winds Face would not give grace to the soul, but it would yield oxygen to the body, which is the next best. It's good picture, right? Just just just get out. There's something about creation that will help. Stephen bounces off of that. He says. This if you're depressed, embraced the sunshine, go for a walk or a jog, sit on your porch and feel the warmth in your face. Drink your coffee and watch the sunrise. It has an impact, but but let me just go ahead and help you and Steven is going to help you do it won't be easy. He goes on to say, You won't feel like it. You'll want to hold up in the darkness of your room or stay in bed. But just 20 minutes in the sun can do wonders for the darkened brain and the sunken so wonders. It's not an understatement. There's something about God's design of creation that that actually can help us when our soul feels something. Now we can all go go outside and take a walk together right now. I mean, I guess we could actually, it would be kind of fun, right? If you just all of us, like we left and went down the crispy cream with a great 300 people walking into crispy cream, you could see the faces behind the ladies in the counter would be great and even people riding down the street what it's going off walk down there and then we get in and and I turned to the lady at the counter, and I point to Carol Crawford's that he's paying for everybody. He's he's got it. Although that'd be fun. We were going to D'oh! No, but we can just kind of take a walk together in our minds and God's designed his truth to be something that helps us on our wall. He's designed his truth to be found in his book, The Bible. What does his book say to us? Well, it tells us to dwell on eight valuable things. Eight Good things Listen, in a world full of negative politics and a world full of extremely violent movies in a world full of ignorant and immoral TV shows in a world full of critical and mean social media post, thinking on something good sounds pretty good. So Paul gives us some things to think on their good. These are valuable things. And so what are they going to roll through over real quick? First, he says, Whatever is true, whatever is is true. On any given week, The highest grossing movie out in the theaters is something that has been designed completely with computer generated imagery. CIA, in other words, the plot of the movie or the characters of the movie or the the activity of the movie are not really they've been created. In fact, there there's such a creation that they probably would never happen in real life. And millions of people spend two or more hours immersing themselves in a world that is not really. And this doesn't include the mini more than two hours, that many people sitting in front of fantasy video games and immersing themselves in a world that is not real. Does that mean you shouldn't go to movies Now? Does that mean that you shouldn't play video games now? That's not what I'm saying. I'm just simply saying that that is a simple observation of our culture, that we have become obsessed with our time over things that are not really. And let me just tender this, cause both of those sound like I'm hitting the younger generation. Let me go for the older generation too. Okay? Our favorite TV shows, they're not really you know. I mean, look, I love me some Madlock, Madlock, Ariel, You know, stuff never happens like that, for that matter. You know, maybe we wouldn't rial, you know? I mean, it's fun, it's good. And so all of us, to some degree, we we live in a bit of a fantasy where we like to have a little bit of an escape, whatever it may be. So our cultures has become consumed with our sometimes of things that were not really, Paul says. In doing so, we're kind of starving our minds from truth. And so he says, Whatever's true, dwell on those things. Well, how can we do that? How can we free ourselves from from constant streams of fantasy and fiction? How can we break free if maybe just for a little while? Well, it all comes back to having a strong diet, Paul sayss of truth. And where do we get that truth? Well, this is what Jesus said. He was praying for his closest friends, and this is what he prayed to God. The father sanctify them, Purify, consecrate, separate them for yourself. Make them holy by the truth. Your word is truth. The world is full of fantasy and fiction. It's okay to indulge a little bit, but But don't dwell on that, which is not really. Don't dwell on that, which is not true. Dwell own truth. Think on true spin your 10,000 thoughts toward truth, God's word is full of truth. Dwell owned the things of God and just a quick commercyal. I just heard about it this week. There's a there's an app. It's not free, but it's Caldwell on the little commercyal I heard. I'm definitely going to check it out. It's a great way to engage with God's work all week long, but it zapped Caldwell S o. Check it out. I would get any anything for that, By the way, it's just next, Paul says. Whatever is honorable, dwell on things that are worthy of respect. Dwell on things that are serious and honorable and dignified from reality. TV show too. Collegiate and professional athletes to Little League coaches owned you, too, to even a retiree disgruntled over the coffee, not being hot in the biscuit joint. We live in a time where, more often than not, we're saying to ourselves, our kids, our grandkids don't be like that. Don't act like that. Don't don't talk like she talks. Don't do what he does, Paul. In his letter to the church, Colossi said, This cautions three to set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on Earth. Why? Because There's plenty of arrogance. There's plenty of selfishness here. There's plenty of things that are not honorable here, and supports is don't dwell on those things dwell on that which is is higher drilling, that which is above dwell God's truth because we live in a world of dishonor. It is good for us to fill our minds with that which is honorable, that which is good and God's truth and God himself is good. We dwell on the honor and the greatness of God, mixed Paul sayss, whatever's right. How in the world can I think about what's right when everything is so wrong in the world? How can I dwell on what's right, when every time I look in my social media feed or watch the news or pick up the paper? Whatever I do, I hear about all these awful things that happened this this crime, there's conflict, there's confrontation, there's political upheaval. There's there's danger, there's tragedy, there's disaster. How in the world cannot think about what's right when there's so much that is wrong not to oversimplify. But the reason you you have to think about what is right is because if you don't then your heart and your mind and your soul will shrivel up and Phil just dark and dead. If you don't strive for that, which is right, this is what Jesus said Matthew five or six. Blessed and happy and satisfied are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied, blessed and happy. And satisfied is the person that dwell, zone and is hungry and thirsty for being right with God, that that's what righteousness means. Being being right with God blessed and happy and satisfied is the person that takes God's promises and takes God's truth and says, This is my definition of right. Imagine what would happen in our homes in our marriages and our parenting habits. What would happen at work in our practices at the church? Dare we even go so far to say what would happen in our nation's capital if people took the promises and the truth of God and say, This is what is right? But this is what is right. It would change things. Johnny Carson Todd has been a quadriplegic since a diving accident in 1967. I've shared these next two thoughts with you before, but they they never lose their punch with me. This is what she said. I don't know all the answers and I'm not sure if I did that it would help. But I do know the one who has the answers and knowing him makes all the difference. I'd rather be in this chair knowing him than on my feet without him. If I'm to be held steady in the midst of my suffering, I want to be held not by a doctrine or a calls, but by the most powerful person in the universe. There's plenty that's wrong in the world, and we can't get away from it. We we can't run away from it. We can't hide in our houses or hide in our churches from it, and we're not supposed to. But we don't have to dwell on it. We can't dwell on what is right. We could be satisfied with what is right and what is perfect and what is right above all things is the goodness and the glory and the power and the Majesty and the person of God. Why would we not one ah, hunger for that which comes from the owner of the universe the most powerful person in the universe. That's that's right. And so we look to him next, Paul says. Whatever is pure, man, we won't pure right. I'm telling. I'm a sucker. I'm a sucker at any grocery store. You repackage mustard and I'll buy it. You know I don't care. Whatever it is, I'm a sucker for the things out in the out and you know you go toe like Earth Fair or Whole Foods are fresh market, but I'm a huge sucker with Oh, it's pure water. If you are, are some funny going on YouTube and watch Jim Gaffigan talk about us drinking bottled water. It's really funny, but But we we love your things right way, love, anything that says pure Oh, it's pure feud. It's pure air. It's pure medicine, you know, whatever we like. The idea of something that is pure but not so much on pure conduct, not so much on pure character, that's that's a little different. I was reading something this week about a pastor who was standing, I think, in the basement of his church, and there was a picture hanging on the wall in the picture was of the elders and the deacons at their church. And he said what made him smile about that picture was was the day that the picture was taken. See one of those Deacon's in there. That picture was of his wedding day. They took a picture of the elders and Deacon's on his wedding day, and what the pastor remembered was that that guy had met his wife, a church, and they had dated four years. But what stuck out in his mind the most was on that day, four years later, on their wedding day. It was the first time that they had kissed, and he stood just looking at the picture, and he said, I just I was reminded of just what a beautiful, pure, wonderful thing that ISS It's definitely not the norm, right? We live in a culture Where were young men? They wanna live immoral lives, but then they want to go find a pure girl to marry. Are we live in a culture where young women, they want to live in moral lives, but but then they want to put on a pure white dress and have a pure church service for their wedding. See, we love the idea of purity, but just for other people, but not for us. We don't wanna pursue purity on our own. That's what Jesus said. Matthew, 58 Blessed and happy and satisfied are the pure in heart, for they shall see God blessed and happy and satisfied are not the ones that pursuit immorality, although it feels great in the moment. But then you wake up and it's not so great the next day. It's not so great to three years later into that relationship or whatever it may be. But Jesus said, happier. Those who are pure in heart for they shall see God. There are plenty of impure things in this world. There are plenty of immoral things in this world. And guess what? You can't hide from him. We can't hide their houses. We can't hide in the church. We can't hide, but we don't have to dwell on them. We can't dwell on that which is pure weaken. Dwell on that which is true of God. Because what is true of God is pure because he is holy, Holy, holy! He is other, other other were not. And he is so we dwell on him because he is pure next, Paul says. Whatever is lovely dwell on things that are pleasing and attractive things that inspire admiration. You know, when something really gets lovely, is when it's set down in the middle of something that's ugly. I mean, you really see something beautiful when you see it in the middle of something that's not you really see in the in the middle of tragedy, sometimes in the middle of heartache, when you see that man, that woman, that young boy, that that girl, when their eyes are lifted to Jesus when their mouth speaks of Jesus, when we know that their hope and their confidence is in Jesus, all that is ugly, all that is terrible. All that is tragic around that. All of a sudden there's this moment of beauty. There's this lovely person in the middle of the storm saying, For this I have Jesus from the pain and agony and horror of the cross. After being brutally persecuted and tortured long before he was nailed to the cross, and in this moment of agony and pain, we hear these words from Jesus Father, forget it in the middle of his paint in the midst of unspeakable torment. Here is this lovely voice speaking lovely words not just to the people around the cross, but to you that forgiveness can be yours in the midst of whatever sin has dominated your life. In the midst of, of whatever despair are difficult, the forgiveness and the love and the mercy of Jesus, it is attractive. It is pleasing. It is worthy of admiration. Listen, I could figure out a way to scroll through social media on the screen for youto watch for like, three seconds, and we'll find plenty of things on anything that we look at. It's unpleasant, There's unpleasant links, and there's unpleasant tirades. I appreciate the words of one of my friends and local pastors last night who said every college football fan should never get on Facebook after their game. Win or lose, he's probably wise and right in saying so. The world is full of unattractive Unpleased sing horrible things, and we can't run away from him. We can't hide from them, but we don't have to dwell on that way. We can dwell on that which is lovely and the truth of God in the person of Jesus Christ. It is pleasing and attractive and lovely. It never loses its shine. Next, Paul sayss, whatever's of good repute, that means dwell on something that's kind or appealing well. Cooper, right? Some of our most well loved hymns, and in his moments when he was dying, the woman who took care of him was trying to offer him some encouragement and some refreshment. And this is what he said back to her. What can it signify? In other words, what good is it? He was saved. He was redeemed. But as he was drawing his last breath, he had nothing but despair to speak up. So that would be something that doesn't feel like good repute. It's true, it's a very true part of his life, but but I choose to not dwell on that part. I choose to dwell on a different thing that he said, something that is a good repute that's is kind and appealing. It goes like this. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose. Oh, they're guilty stains. Lose them. In his last breath, he had despair, but not always. There was that moment when Cooper said, You know what? If I put myself under the flow off the blood of Jesus, I moves the guilty nous of myself. No matter what anyone says about me or against me, I cannot be touched because my sins have been forgiven by Jesus. We lose all our guilty states. That is a good repute that is kind that is appealing. So we dwell on that. There are plenty of offensive discouraging and despairing things in this world, but but we don't have to dwell on it. We can do well in that which is good and kind and appealing, and then two more. I'm kind of putting them together in Verse eight, Paul says. If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise dwell on these things, so was that little like in real life? Let me just throw out some questions. Think about your normal habits, All right. Don't Don't try to paint yourself too great of a picture here, like normally. Now your normal routine of life. Think about these questions when you see somebody, Do you think one of these two things What do I not like about that person? or what is he or she not doing that I think they should be doing. Are those your natural first thought when you're, you know, sitting at the booth waiting for the waitress to come over or whatever it may be? Yeah, is your first thought. What is excellent and worthy of affirming in that person? What can I firm about this person? Your answer. That question matters because it determines whether or not you're being excellent and praiseworthy in your thoughts. Whether you're dwelling on that, which is good, let's talk about it in a church setting a couple of questions First thoughts that run through your mind are What's wrong with that congregation? And what do I not like about that church? Or is it what is excellent and worthy of affirming about that church? What can I say about that church this affirming? And let's just throw this out in the world of politics, can you imagine what would happen? Listen, I I am. I'm a big fan of our former politician in our state, Trey Gowdy, and the reason why is because consistently he affirms people he disagrees with, and he does it publicly, and he does it wisely, and he doesn't lovingly and he doesn't consistently what would chain. And by the way, if you've ever read the book that he and Tim Scott route if not, I encourage you to read it. I've been purchasing it for people because it had such an impact on me. But this one of the reasons he's not politics anymore because it felt like a little bit of a lost cause. I think to him to do the right thing. And so he's going to do the right thing and a lot of other ways, And he is. But But what would change in our world, what would change in your marriage? What would change in your relationship with your kids if you would just look for for something excellent and praiseworthy to affirm first, I'm at the Waffle House the other night, all right, I'm the only person in there for like, two hours. I'm over in the corner, I'm studying. Nobody comes in. And so the cook is just one cook in one waitress, and the cook was so discouraged is like, Ah, Eye's inherits place been so dad for so long. I'm loving it, you know I got the place to myself. It's quiet. I'm getting a lot done in the waitress. She said back to him. She said, You know what? We should just appreciate and enjoy the peace and quiet like you go Girl was good. I like that has knife. And so then I got up and went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I was still the only person the restaurant. And I said to both of them, I don't know which one of you did it, but that is the cleanest bathroom I've ever been in in my life, in a restaurant, ever. And this was true. It was amazing, You know nothing against it. But normally you wouldn't say that about a Waffle House bathroom, okay? And so I said it was amazing, and you know what happened to both of them? They looked at me like I was an alien, you know, It was just like, uh, thanks, you know, And I was like, really just did a great job. I mean, they look amazing. Their whole demeanor changed. Now, let me just say this. I was I was great with the folks at Waffle House. I'm not always great with my wife and kids like that. You know I'm sinful and I'm weak and I do the wrong thing. But can you imagine what would happen if if the habit of our lives is Christians? Is that what is excellent and praiseworthy and affirming in this person? Especially if I disagree with him, how can I firm them? What would change in our world if we would follow such a simple truth from the Bible? Who are you a fan of? Who do you praise? Who are your heroes? Who do you tell your kids and your grandkids to be? Heroes are your heroes Christians, men and women who are excellent and praiseworthy. I mean, do do you make it a habit to affirm to your kids and your grandkids and yourself? People who are truly following Christ are those the ones that you direct them toward? How would we know whether we're directing somebody towards someone who is excellent and praiseworthy in their walk with Christ? Well, it depends on what their dwelling on and how do you know what their dwelling on, where you're going to see it in their lives? And what's the one of the most important things that a Christian can dwell on, Peter tells us First Peter to verse nine. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. Ah, holy nation of people for God's own possession. You are part of the kingdom of God. You are a child of God. That's something that dwell. And why should we do that? Peter tells us so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him, who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The most excellent and praiseworthy thing that we can ever dwell on is the reality that for Jesus Christ, we have been taken out of the darkness of sin, and we have been transferred by Jesus into the marvelous light of eternal life. That's the greatest thing that you could ever dwelling, dwelling on what Jesus has done for us when Paul's writing here dwell on these things that the tense of the verb is imperative, meaning that this is a present imperative command from Paul to dwell on these things. Now what gives Paul the right to command us to do anything? Listener, First time the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the Godof peace will be with you. What was happening to Paula's as he's sitting in in the middle of writing this letter when he was a prisoner, he was He was not own his own, doing his own thing. Almost all the normal comforts of life had been taken away from him. I love how Jeff Thomas described this. He has been in the spotlight in times of freedom when he was there, pastor. But now he is pinned down under the scrutiny of guards and visitors in a prison cell. He is always there, never out for a moment. He is always under observation. And what if they've been learning and hearing and seeing from his example that the God of Peace is still with him in jail as much as in a pulpit or a prayer meeting? He says, This Paul Live consistently is a Godfearing man. So you live like this too, he is saying. In other words, this text is a description of the normative Christian ethic. It is all wonderfully positive. Let me reward that the normal Christian life should be marked with a wonderful positive excellence that let me repeat that the normal Christian life should be marked with a wonderful positive. Excellent. Now is that perfect? Wonderful, Positive. Excellent. Not at all. We're not going to be there, but it should be there in some way some shape. Some form the power of the gospel, the power that we have lost all the guilt of our sin. That should drive us to a wonderful positive excellence and how we think and how we act and how we live and what we do. It's not easy, but but the gospel helps. And here's the best fuel that we have for doing that. See that the best fuel that we have for doing that is because as Christians, we have the one thing, the one reality that above all other realities it is true, is honorable, is right, is pure, is lovely, is of good repute, is excellent and worthy of praise. What is that? One thing with that one thing that we have is Jesus. For this I have Jesus. For that I have Jesus for all things I have Jesus bar another. If you think a few lines from Steven All Truckee. Ultimately your hope and depression hinges on Jesus. He's holding on to you even when it feels like you're free falling. Somebody's felt that way this week, more likely more than one of us. He's holding on to you even when it feels like you're free falling and he goes on, You may be in the dark, but your shepherd is walking right beside you. He knows what it's like to be overwhelmed by grief. Remember the garden? Jesus was so overwhelming grief that in his prayers he was sweating blood. He knows what it's like to be overwhelmed by grief and swallowed up by bleakness. And then he says this your grip on life may falter, but his grip on you want that is true. That is honorable. That is right, that is pure. That is lovely. That is of good repute that is excellent that is worthy of praise. Jesus will not lose his grip own. You dwell on that. Dwell on that. May the Lord give us grace to feel his grip.