These things think on.

James Talarico

Household will serve the Lord

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What Lord wants us to keep our mind set on things.

Notes

Transcript

Many things fighting for our thought life. Php 4.8-9

Philippians 4:8–9 NET 2nd ed.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

Paul was exhorting the Philippians to set there mind on things worthy to meditate on.

Also we should remember Paul wrote this from prisont.

I am sure in these days they had many other things that were fighting for their thought life. Today in the post mondern world we have all sorts of things trying to get our minds meditating on worldly thing. All our news channels try to get us to look at all the evil that is going on the world. Yes even Fox news would have us focus on the wrong things.

Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians & Philemon Notes

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.… things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Each of these virtues and the sum total of them are what Greco-Romans prized as the best virtues a person could display. This sentence could easily have been found in Epictetus’s Discourses or Seneca’s Moral Essays, in the context of extolling the best of moral virtues. But the words also are found in the LXX. So it is not necessary to argue that Paul drew upon either source to the exclusion of the other. However, it should be noted that he used terms that were familiar to his Greek readers from the philosophical moralists (particularly the Stoics).

Good things to meditate on.

Example of not mediating on good thing can be found in.

Genesis 6:5 NET 2nd ed.

But the Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time.

Bible tells us in Psalm 1:2, we should meditate on his instructions.

Psalm 1:2 NET 2nd ed.

Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night.

Josh 1:8 tells us if we meditate on his word day and night we will have good success and prosperous.

Joshua 1:8 NET 2nd ed.

This law scroll must not leave your lips. You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful.

Jesus says what comes from our heart is what defiles us Mat 15:18

Matthew 15:18 NET 2nd ed.

But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person.

The thing we focus on will come back out of heart so we should be guarding what goes into our hearts. Proverbs 4:23 tells us sources of life come from our heart.

Proverbs 4:23 NET 2nd ed.

Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.

Maturity in Christ

Part of our maturity in Christ is learning to meditate on these things.

In so doing, they could take an active role in renewing their minds.11 Harold W. Hoehner, Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon., vol. 16 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 217.

Its all so part of having dedicate life Rom 12.1-2

Romans 12:1–2 NET 2nd ed.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

This also part of the sanctification process

Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Sanctification > Philippians, Theology Of

He urges the Philippians to act (4:9). It is not enough for Christians to think lofty thoughts. They must put these good thoughts into practice. Thought and action, mind and body working together must be inseparably linked (4:8–9). But Paul wants them to act in a certain way, in accord with what they have learned from him, in harmony with the traditions he has passed on to them, in keeping with the gospel of Christ (4:9; cf. 1:27).

Part thinking on good things will help us live a life pleasing to the Lord. 1 Th 4:1

1 Thessalonians 4:1 NET 2nd ed.

Finally then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received instruction from us about how you must live and please God (as you are in fact living) that you do so more and more.

By meditating on these things will help us with what 2 Cor 10.4-5 taking our thought captive to obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 NET 2nd ed.

for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ.

Call to action

We should be watching our thought life closely.

Lord wants us to focus on the good things and not the bad. We should be more focus on what Php 4:8 tells us, every day.

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