Bob Josey- Thinking Positively and Being content - Phil 4: 8-13 - Aug 6, 2023

SLIDES

Thinking Positively and Being Content

Philippians 4:8-13

Introduction

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One of the problems we have in America is that most kids in school, and some even at home, and at church are not taught to think any longer. I used to hate algebra word problems and English sentence diagramming because it required thinking. I have not had to deal with algebra since college, but I now like to do sentence diagramming in English and Greek because it helps me work through Bible passages.

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The results of not teaching people to think has permeated just about every aspect of our society now, particularly in the areas of education, business, industry, science, and church. That’s one of the reasons we have lost the edge of competition in America years ago. There is not much thinking inside or outside the box these days. A good example of taking opportunities away from people to think is when learning and using multiplication tables was not part of the school’s curriculum any longer.

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Henry Ford said this in 1929, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it.”

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Bible reading, or not reading the Bible at all, has replaced Bible study. Reading the Bible is only part of the Bible study process. Even then, one should be bombarding the text with questions. Reading the Bible is not a time when one should take his or her mind out of gear. Except for a few, Bible classes in churches today have become a place to be passive not active. Believers who are interested in serious Bible study usually have to find a Bible study that meets outside the church, usually in a home, or outside of normal Bible study hours in a church. I had to do that in 1978 where I found a serious Bible study in a home, because I was not getting fed at my church.

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Thinking, pondering, dwelling on, and ruminating on the Bible and spiritual things is very important. Therefore, the first point of the lesson today, as we shall see, involves thinking.

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In our last lesson we discussed that Paul exhorted believers have peace with other people and ourselves. He gave us several ways how we could maintain peace with others. We also discussed that one way for believers to have peace with oneself was to seek the Lord’s help during challenging circumstances instead of being anxious. Today we will discuss another exhortation from Paul on how to have peace in one’s life. The second way that Paul gives for believers to have peace with oneself is:

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b. By thinking about positive things and following the examples of honorable believers. (4:8-9)

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8 Finally, brethren, whatever is 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. 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.

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By using the word finally, Paul has rounded 3rd and on his way to home base i.e., he is concluding his letter to the church at Philippi. Note also he called them brethren again. He is telling them that he has a special relationship with them in the Body of Christ. They are his spiritual brothers and sisters in this profound mystical body.

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Norman Vincent Peale was not the first man to capitalize on the psychological law of “positive thinking.” Paul laid claim to this truth in the first century. In this letter he used a variety of words to describe those things which are excellent or praiseworthy and which Christians ought to think about or dwell on. This is certainly not a comprehensive list, but rather suggestive and illustrative. Gene Getz suggests that “the words are somewhat difficult to define in isolation. But together they form a positive profile for thought and action. Notice, too, that Paul did not spell out specific “content” to think about. Rather, he listed qualities that could be used as criteria in every culture and at any given moment in history, thus making these virtues supracultural and timeless.” (The Measure of a Christian: Studies in Philippians p. 166.)

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Paul lists eight qualities that should characterize what Christians think about. The word dwell means to give careful thought to a matter, think about, consider, ponder, fill your minds, let one’s mind dwell on something. The tense of this verb is in the present tense so he is instructing the believers in Philippi to continually think about or dwell on things that are characterized by the qualities believers should dwell on. The word whatever means there is an unlimited number of things believers can think about or dwell on as long as they have the characterized by the qualities Paul listed. What should characterize the things we think about are as follows:

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1. True - In John 18:38 Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth? How would you answer that? Truth is that which conforms to reality or fact. Where is absolute truth absolutely found? In the inerrant and infallible Scriptures.

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2. Honorable - Something that is worthy of respect.

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3. Right - What is just and upright.

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4. Pure - Something that undefiled, blameless, clean.

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5. Lovely - Something causing pleasure or delight, pleasing, agreeable, amiable.

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6. Good repute - Something that is praiseworthy, commendable.

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7. Excellence - Something with uncommon character, worthy of praise, exceptional character.

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8. Worthy of praise - Commendable, measures up to the highest standards.

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The thing to remember about this is that wholesome or right thinking should lead to wholesome or right behavior. The opposite is also true. Unwholesome thinking leads to unrighteous behavior. 

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Now Paul turns to his example about how to find peace with oneself.

c. By following the example of godly men and women. (4:9)

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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.

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Verse 8 deals with thinking and verse 9 deals with doing. Does anyone think Paul was prideful and full of himself when he suggested that the Philippian church should not only practice what he had taught them, but also to practice what he modeled? If anyone could say that it was Paul. A person who lived and breathed humility. Paul wanted other believers to follow his lead on that they had learned from him, received from him, heard from him and seen in him. Note that learned, received, heard, and seen are each connected by an and. He wanted to demonstrate that each of the verbs were important. Basically, what he was saying was “Follow my example as I follow Christ’s example”

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If one followed Paul’s example by practicing what he taught and what he modeled, proper thinking and righteous deeds, they would receive peace from God. The word practice means to bring about or accomplish something through activity. We should not just think about godly things but do them. Dr. Dwight Pentecost says "… “maturity in the Christian life is not measured by what a man knows but by what he does." (The Joy of Living, P 212)

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Today God has raised up other people who have honor and integrity and who teach the truths found in the Bible. These people are at times our example on how to live the Christian life.

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In past lessons in Philippians, we discussed agape’ love - the commitment believers should have for one another. Our lesson last week dealt with joy. Today’s lesson deals with peace. What are people yearning for today? They are yearning to love and be loved, joy in their lives, and peace in their souls. Through the Holy Spirit, believers can give and experience love, can be filled with joy, and receive peace from God as we see in Galatians 5:22. If we live under the control of the Holy Spirit, we can experience love, joy, and peace.

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3. Peace with Circumstances (4:10-20)

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a. By being content with material things (4:10-13)

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10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

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Paul was elated that the church at Philippi began to demonstrate again through their actions that they cared for him. They had helped him financially in his ministry before he was sent to prison and while he was in prison. Sending Epaphroditus to be his helper to clean out his bed pan, to get food for him, fetch him clothes, etc. was part of this. Others from Philippi had also gone to help also. But now they are sending him funds again.

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Paul wrote that they were always concerned about his welfare, but there were times when they lacked the opportunity to do so. This means that they could not always show him their concern because they were hard pressed and did not have the financial funds to send to him.

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Let’s now read Philippians 4:11.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

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Paul was not only humble but he was also honest. Humility and honesty are two important ingredients as the believer in Jesus deals with material needs of oneself and of others. Since Paul was a man of honesty and integrity, who did not have to play games with people or churches. He had pure motives. He told the church at Philippi that he was happy to have received their gift. After letting the Philippians know how happy he was about the gift they had sent, he told them that he was not playing on their sympathy. “I am not saying this because I am in need,” he wrote (4:11).

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Some TV preachers, evangelists, and even some missionaries today play on people’s emotions. When supporting or praying for any TV preacher, evangelist, and missionaries, ask intelligent questions about their ministry. Ask them to share with you how they present the gospel to someone. Their method may not be clear or biblical. There is a difference between telling someone they follow Christ and sharing a clear gospel message with someone. Telling someone they follow Christ is not the gospel message and will never save anyone.

The reason Paul was not in need is because he learned the lesson of contentment regardless of the circumstances. The word learned means that he learned this lesson about contentment and other lessons by experience not book learning. The word contentment means to be satisfied. Paul did not beg God’s people to help him in his ministry. The need was placed before them and he trusted God to meet it. Changing circumstances did not affect the inner contentment he enjoyed. He focused on spiritual things not material things. He wrote in Colossians 3:2,      Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

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Phil.4:12- I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how-to live-in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

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Paul describes some of the conditions he had faced over the years—the roller-coaster-like ups and downs. He had learned contentment by experiencing various—often intense—circumstances (4:12). If we were to chart this verse, it would look something like this:

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Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, Philippians, p 93)

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I find it fascinating that Paul wrote these words while he was under house arrest for an indefinite period of time. He was chained to a Roman soldier, paying for his own rented house and enduring a total lack of privacy and freedom. However, he had learned contentment through the years, enduring such extreme circumstances that his present condition under house arrest was much easier to face.

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Now we come to the punchline in verse 13. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

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This was the Key to Paul being content regardless of what his circumstances were that we discussed a few minutes ago. Paul said he could do everything— to include poverty and living in abundance—by Christ giving him the strength to do so. This was certainly not an expression of pride in his own abilities but a declaration of the strength provided by Christ.

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Paul knew that the promise he wrote in verse 13 that was inspired by God had only to do with verses 11-12. This didn’t mean that Paul could accomplish all his personal goals, fulfill all his dreams, or acquire fame and fortune. If Paul had an abundance of money, food, water, and material things, God would give him the strength to deal with it. On the other hand, if he was hungry, thirsty, destitute, and suffering, God would give him the divine strength to deal with it as well.

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Application

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John D. Rockefeller, the richest man of his era, was once asked, “How much money do you need to be content?” His response: “Just a little more.” The human heart is a sponge, with an insatiable thirst for “just a little more.” Or, perhaps we’re more like a shipwrecked man adrift at sea … longing to quench our thirst. What do we do? Gulp salt water, which only make us thirstier. We thirst, we want, we desire, we crave. Contentment feels forever beyond our reach. Augustine said, “God has made us for Himself, and our hearts are restless, until they find their rest in Him.” Is your heart restless? Is there contentment in your life?

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To find the contentment promised in these verses a believer must put into practice the principles found in these verses and in 1 Timothy 6:6-11.

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6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

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Verse 13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” is one of the most quoted, but also most misinterpreted, verses in the Bible. Most people rip it out of context and try to apply it to areas of the Christian life that has nothing to do with this verse. The “all things” refers to “all things: related to verses 11-12.

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This is a paraphrase verses 11-13: “Whatever ups and downs concerning material things and sustenance of life comes my way, I can handle whatever comes, not through my own strength, but by the power of Christ.” Nothing else suffices but Christ. He alone gives the strength we need to endure. Not education, not money, not political clout, not positive thinking, not self-assertiveness.

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An appropriate poem from a DaySpring occasion card.

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May God give you strength

‌when yours is gone,

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may His grace and mercy

‌carry you on,

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may the unending love

‌that He has for you

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revive your heart

‌and see you through.

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Selah!

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