Also, Paul writes in Romans 12 and verse 1, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
As Christians, we’re supposed to live lives that are holy.
And the Apostle Paul here is begging the brethren, I want you to live holy, I want you to
live what’s right.
This is what God is commanding you.
But there’s a way to live holy.
He says, Don’t be conformed to this world.
Don’t fit the mold of the world, don’t fit that pattern.
But instead renew your mind.
Change your mind.
And that changing of your mind is supposed to produce that action.
When you change your mind toward the ways of the world and you turn away from that and
turn it in.
To the way of right, then you can be transformed, changed, and right.
As Christians, we’re supposed to have a different mind.
A mind that is not like the world’s mind, but a mind that is different, that is holy, and
ultimately is acceptable in the sight of God, and we’re doing the will of God when we have
it.
If you turn with me to Philippians 4 for this morning, Philippians 4, we’re going to be
discussing the mind of a Christian.
All from this text in Philippians 4.
And there are four imperative statements that we’re going to key in on this morning.
The mind of a Christian.
First, we might observe that the mind of a Christian rejoices in the Lord.
Philippians 4:4, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.
I think that might have been one of the earliest um songs that we were singing, where we
were singing scripture with my mother, of course.
And singing we sing, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.
You sing that over and over again.
It’s something very crucial and very key to understand.
But there’s really two aspects of this being given here.
For one, there’s the command.
We’re to rejoice.
We have to rejoice.
It’s stated twice.
And then there’s the place of it.
We can rejoice when we’re in the Lord.
We can rejoice when we’re right with Him.
First, we might observe that rejoicing is a command.
It’s a choice that we can make.
We can decide that we’re not going to be bitter about this life, but we’re going to be
glad.
We’re going to be happy because we are right in the sight of God.
We might observe that this is a daily choice.
The psalmist said in Psalm 118 and verse 34, this is the day that the Lord has made.
I will rejoice and be glad in it.
I will rejoice.
I’m choosing that because God has given me today, because He has given me an opportunity
to live for Him, I’m going to rejoice and be glad in it.
I’m going to take what God has given me and use it for the best.
This is a daily choice.
It’s also a constant choice.
First Thessalonians 5 and verse 16 rejoice evermore.
We need to rejoice always.
Rejoice evermore.
This is a choice that we must have through whatever may come.
James one and verse two, we see those brethren as he tells them about their trials and how
they’re going through it and how they need to have patience, but he tells them, Count it
all joy when you fall into diverse temptations.
Count it joyful when you fall into these trials, these persecutions that you’re going
through.
Count it joy, because the trying of your faith works patience.
And patience, when it has its perfect work, you will be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.
We need to be joyful.
We need to be right.
We’re going to count it joy.
We have to choose to count it as joyful.
And there’s this attitude that we are looking for the joy in these things.
We are looking for that attribute where we can see through the lens through which we can
see it as joyful.
First Peter 4 and verse 12, if you would turn there with me for a moment.
First Peter four and verse twelve.
He’s talked the apostle Peter there is writing to these brethren, and he’s telling them
about this trials they’re going through, but he’s telling them to count it as joyful, to
see the benefits in these things.
He says there, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice insomuch as ye are
partakers of Christ’s sufferings.
That when ye when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of
God resteth upon you.
On not their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
He said, Don’t think it strange, don’t think it wrong that you’re going through these
things.
This is normal for a Christian, but he says, See the joy in that.
See that when you’re going through these sufferings.
You’re glorifying God.
You’re pointing others to him.
You’re pointing um you’re glorifying God in that you also are looking toward heaven and
seeing the ultimate joy that you can have when he shall be revealed, when he shall come.
We can have joy in those things.
Ultimately, we can look through these trials and those things that are happening in life
and see that heaven’s waiting, that that’s on the other side.
So we don’t need to allow these.
Trials and that what happens to us in this life to make us bitter, but instead we need to
look at it and find joy.
But we must also observe that this joy comes in a place.
It comes in a right relationship with God.
Of course, you think of that Psalm, and it’s likely David repenting of after his sin with
Bathsheba.
And he’s looking at his sin, he’s looking at his sinful self, and he says there in Psalm.
51 and verse 12, restore unto me the joy of my salvation.
He says, Right now, how I am, I can’t feel joyful.
I can’t feel right.
I don’t have any joy because I know I’m not right with I I know that I’m not right with
God.
So this godly joy comes in a right relationship with God.
It can’t come in any other place.
We have to be right with Him.
There is this is of course so important because if we want to have the joy that we have,
that we are seeking.
If we want to have the joy and the ultimate fulfillment in this life, we have to be right
with God.
Ultimately this must be found in his church.
If you look with me in Isaiah sixty one, Isaiah sixty one
Isaiah writes, and he’s of course prophesying so much in this book about the church.
And we see this joyfulness that’s supposed to be found here.
And he says there, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, Isaiah 61 and verse 10.
My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom deck decketh himself
with the ordinance.
And as a bride adorneth herself with jewels, he says, just as there is joyfulness on the
marriage day, the same way there can be joy in the church, the same way there can be joy
in the salvation that God is providing.
We are to be cr as Christians, we are to be joyful.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice.
We are to be those who show moderation to all men.
Let your moderation let’s go ahead and read it there.
Philippians 4 and verse 5.
He says there, let your moderation be known unto all men.
The Lord is at hand.
He says, Let your moderation be known.
This moderation is um more of what the word we would use today would be gentleness,
self-control.
This is control in how you treat others.
And you think of this, we’re to renew our minds, we’re not going to be conformed to the
world.
So we change our minds, we change how we treat others.
Instead of treating them poorly, instead of treating them with a sense of how much if I
can anger them, if I can upset them, instead we treat them as gently as we can.
We treat people around us right.
Gentleness is, of course, expected of a Christian.
If you think of those fruits of the Spirit,
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control.
There’s a gentleness to be found in the Christian life.
We’re to be those who are gentle to others.
We don’t see how much we can push somebody until they break, until they get angry and they
snap at us.
We don’t try to hurt them, but instead we’re gentle.
And we try to help them see what a cr the Christian behavior should be like.
Gentleness is key.
In consideration of others.
Proverbs 15 and verse 1.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.
If you respond to somebody angrily, if you respond to somebody grievously and saying, I’m
going to try to get you angry, you are going to do it.
But if you respond with a soft answer, if you respond to somebody else’s mistreatment with
a gentle approach, you won’t be stirring up anger.
You’ll be
turning away any anger that’s there.
And of course that’s the wisdom being displayed in Proverbs fifteen and verse one, but
it’s also crucial for us to understand this as we try to reach those around us.
If you would look with me at Second Timothy two and verse twenty three.
2 Timothy 2 and verse 23, of course, Paul is writing to this younger preacher, and he’s
telling them how to conduct himself.
He says there in 2 Timothy 2, 23, and the servant of the Lord must not strive but be
gentle unto all men.
That’s not the right verse.
I am on the right verse.
I’m on the wrong part of the verse.
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strife.
But be gentle unto all men, apt to teach patience and meekness, instructing them that
oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of
the truth.
The servant of the Lord must not strive.
He should not be one that goes about trying to see how may he me c he may cause strife,
how he can harm others around him, but instead he is gentle unto all men.
Apt to teach, he’s patient.
He sees and considers how he may teach others around him, and uses his gentleness
As a means of doing so, not immediately turning people off around you by how you behave.
If we’re not gentle, people are not going to see our Christian behavior.
If we are not gentle, we are going to struggle to convert those around us to the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
We need to be gentle.
And ultimately we need to remember that the Lord knows if you’ve been gentle.
The Lord knows if you’ve been treating those around you correctly.
The Lord is at hand.
That’s meaning, of course, that he’s near, he sees how you’re behaving.
We are going to be held account we’re go What we do in this life we will be held
accountable for.
Matthew twelve and verse thirty-six says, But I say unto you that every idle word that men
shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.
We will give an account for those words that we shouldn’t have said, for those words we
should have held back, for those words that we should have substituted with a gentle
response.
We will give an account of those things.
The Lord sees and He knows how we behave.
And we need to behave different from the world, not conformed to this world, but
transformed by a renewed mind.
We need to be those who rejoice in the Lord, those who respond correctly to people around
us, respond gently.
And we need to be those who replace worry with prayer as Christians.
Replace worry with prayer.
Look with me back at Philippians four and verse six.
It says there, Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God.
And the God of peace peace was and the peace of God, which patheth salvati passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
For some reason I couldn’t read that.
But We need to be those who replace our worry with prayer.
He says there, be careful for nothing.
Don’t be anxious.
Don’t worry.
But by prayer and supplication, let your request be kno known unto God.
And God will guard your hearts.
He will um that’s a military term of protection.
He’s guarding it.
He’s keeping it secure where it’s at.
So we cannot worry.
Matthew chapter 6.
Of course, the Sermon on the Mount, the of Jesus is, of course, speaking of worry in this
context, and he speaks very detailed of it.
We’re going to read from verses 24 through 34 here.
This is, of course, the key tea a very key teaching on worry: how we can’t worry as
Christians, how we need to trust that God will provide.
It says there: no man can serve two masters.
For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and
despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life that you shall eat or that you
shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on.
Is it not your is not the life more than meat in the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap near gather into
barns, yet your heav your heavenly father feedeth them.
Are you not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for the raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow and they toil not.
Neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore if God clothe the grass of the field, and today is and tomorrow is cast into the
oven, shall he not much more clothe you?
O ye of little faith.
Therefore take no thought of your life, saying what we shall eat, what we shall drink,
what shall
Wherewith or wherewithal shall we be clothed?
For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knoweth that he
that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be
added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought of itself.
Sufficientness of the day is the evil thereof.
He’s urging them not to worry.
He’s urging them not to
To prioritize their worries and their cares over the things of God.
He says there, first, you can’t serve two masters.
If you are put placing your worry as a thing that is crowding your mind above that of God,
you’re looking at the wrong thing.
If you’re looking at this material life as that which is more important, we’re looking at
the wrong thing.
But we need to look at our worries and our concern and put them in the proper perspective
and say, I can’t control that.
That’s out of my hands.
So instead I’m going to have faith in God, I’m going to trust that He can provide, and I’m
going to say and I’m going to give it to Him and trust that He is able to care for me just
as He does to all those things of lesser importance than even man.
The psalmist said in Psalm thirty seven and verse twenty five, I have been young and I am
now old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
We can trust that so long as we’re faithful to God, He will take care of us, and we can be
right before Him.
It may not even be here, but we can certainly have that joy that is waiting for us on the
other side of this life.
We need to give our worries ultimately to God.
1 Peter 5 and verse 7 says, casting all your cares upon him, for he cares for you.
We need to cast our cares upon him, recognizing that when we give him our worries and our
anxieties, he will hear us and he understands them.
And he cares for us and understands what we’re going through.
Hebrews 4 and verse 15, of course, thinking of Jesus and his what he went through in this
life.
It says, therefore, we have not high preach which can be cannot be touched with the
feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are yet without
sin.
Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of his grace, that we may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.
We should be those who trust that when we come to him and we bring our cares and our
desires to him, he hears us and he understands us.
And that Jesus walked through this life.
He understood what it was like to be a man as our high priest.
He understood what it was like to suffer and to deal with the things of this life.
And he knows what we’re going through.
And that when we pray to the Father through him, he is hearing and he understands, and we
can pray to him in confidence, knowing that he will hear us and that we will be cared for.
The psalmist said, and demonstrating a very much absolute trust in God in Psalm 23 and
verse 4, he said, There, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil.
For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me.
Though I walk through this valley that’s dangerous, that I’m I don’t I’m not in control, I
don’t know necessarily what’s happening.
This is, of course, the picture of leading these sheep through what would be a wadi, where
it would be where a water could come in any time and flood this area.
Though this valley is dangerous, and though it might lead to my doom, I can trust God and
I can know that.
He understands my worries, he understands those anxious thoughts that might not be the
most rational, and that he can hear it, and he we can give it to him and trust that he has
it.
I can’t be control of everything, so I let him be control of the important things.
And I give it to him, and when I give it to him, I should give it to him with
thanksgiving.
There’s an attribute there where we need to count our blessings.
When we look at our worries and we look at our anxiousness, when we look at what God has
given us, we can trust that He will keep providing for us good things.
He will keep providing for us just as He has cared for us already.
First Thessalonians five and verse seventeen seventeen, pray without ceasing in everything
give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
We need to give thanks.
We need to recognize just how much God has blessed us.
And not worry about the things of this life.
Replace that worry with prayer.
The Christian mind is one that rejoices.
The Christian won mind is one that replies gently.
The Christian mind replaces worry with prayer.
And the Christian mind is one that rests on godly things.
It rests on godly things.
We have things that we must not think of.
There are things we can’t think of because they’re wicked, because they’re evil.
Genesis five Genesis six and verse five.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination
of his heart was only on evil continually.
Their minds were set on evil.
They were set on the whatever pleasure they could find, however, they could harm others
and give to themselves gain.
They were set on what they wanted.
Their minds were set on evil.
Our minds cannot be set on evil things.
Our minds, if they are only set on evil things, they will do us harm and we will be led
astray, and we will ultimately be destroyed in judgment.
So instead we need to do as the Proverbs writer would tell us, to keep our heart with all
diligence, Proverbs 4 and verse 23, for out of it are the issues of light.
If we guard our heart, if we don’t allow those evil influences to come in, we will be
right and we will be where we’re safe.
So then we have to, of course, not think of evil things.
We can’t think of these these wrong things, but instead we need to think of what is right.
Go ahead with me to Philippians 4 and verse 8.
I forgot to read this, but it’s so key to this point as we look at it.
It says there, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report.
If there is any virtue, and if there is any praise,
Think on these things.
We need to think on these good things, those things that are right.
If we look at these attributes and we say, does my mind rest on these things?
Does my mind more often than not contain these things that are good and holy?
Or are they containing things that are impure and unholy?
If we recognize that our minds are not on the right things, then we need to renew our
minds.
Then we need to start making changes and make the conscious act a effort to not think on
those evil things anymore, not think on those things that are wrong.
But only think on those things that are right in the sight of God.
And might I also add that when we think on these things, our conversations are going to be
different.
If I might not recognize that I’m thinking on these things, but the only thing I can bring
up about somebody is what’s wrong and what does not match these qualities, then I’m
looking at the wrong things and I’m thinking the wrong things about others.
We need to be those who think right about godly things.
Colossians three and verse Colossians three, one.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on
the right hand of the throne of God.
He says there, set your affection on things above, and not on things of this earth.
We can’t be those who seek our set our affection here, on those things that are wicked, on
those things that are whole only fleshly, but we need to set our minds on things above and
look to those and prioritize those things as we dwell on them.
Of course, ultimately, this means we must meditate on the Word of God.
If you want to meditate on something holy, you have to meditate on the holy book.
If ultimately you want to renew your mind, you need to look to the source of a renewed
mind.
That mind that is renewed by the study and by the meditation in the Word of God.
We will never have that transformed mind if we do not look at the thing that can transform
it.
Psalm 1
Says, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the godly of the ungodly, who
stands not in the path of sinners, who sits not in the sea of the scornful, but his
delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree by the rivers of water, who brings forth his fruit in his season,
whose leaf does not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.
The godly man is one who sees God’s word as the guiding principle of his life.
He meditates on it.
It’s always on his mind, it’s always in his thoughts, and he lives by it.
He’s planted, he’s grounded, he’s not going to move, he’s not going to sway through the
cares of this life.
He doesn’t move because he has the right source and he has the right mind about his life.
The Psalm this also keeps us from sin.
The Psalmist says in Psalm one nineteen and verse eleven, Thy word have I hidden mine
heart, I’ve hidden mine, that I might not sin against thee.
If you have trouble sinning, we have to go to the book.
We have to go to the source of where our minds can change, and our minds towards sin may
change.
Of course this should cause repentance second Corinthians seven.
But we need to be right.
We need to change our minds.
So we need to rechange change our minds.
We need to do so by changing it to a mind of rejoicing.
We need to change it to a mind of gentleness toward others.
We need to change it to a mind where we rely on God, where we trust Him, where we replace
our worries with prayer.
We need to change our mind to one that rests on godly things.
And we need to do what’s right in the sight of God.
Maybe today you are not a Christian.
Well, you can make it right.
Well, you you can come to Him and you can come to Him and be cleansed.
And you can come to Him, and when you come to Him, you’re expected to change, and you’re
expected to be right, but you can come as you are with the willingness to change and with
the willingness to be right.
Maybe today you’re not a Christian, you can do so by hearing the gospel.
By hearing that gospel, by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
And that he came and he suffered, that he died for you, and that he was resurrected the
third day, first Corinthians fifteen.
And that by repenting of your sins, by changing your mind towards sin, Acts seventeen and
verse thirty, you then confess the sweet name of Jesus, that he is the Son of God, Matthew
ten, verse thirty two and thirty three, and then you’re baptized into Christ, Galatians
three, twenty seven.
When you’re buried with him in baptism, you’re cleansed, and you’re right in the sight of
God.
And then you leave faithfully, you live right.
Maybe today you’re a Christian, but you need strength, you need encouragement.
Maybe today you’re a Christian and you’ve sinned and you need to make it right.
Whatever your need may be, come now as we stand and as we sing.
