Thank you.
What's your greatest fear?
What is the most frightening thought that's ever crossed your mind?
You know, I'd never thought of that kind of question until recently.
Everybody has certain things they're afraid of.
Everybody deals with certain kinds of fears.
What's your greatest fear?
Well, I read something that helped me to know how to answer that question.
D.A. Carson, the New Testament scholar, made this statement.
It always makes me fearful to remember that God knows my thoughts.
Hebrews 4.13 reminds us,
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Now, I want you to look at what that verse is saying.
Think about it.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.
Some translations make that more personal and say no creature is hidden from God's sight.
I think this verse reveals what should be, at least for most people, our greatest fear.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.
God knows everything about us.
Every single thing about us, He knows.
And that includes our thoughts, our desires.
Now, we all live with people.
Family members, close friends, they know a lot about us.
But no one but God really knows what's going on up here and here.
And one day, we're going to have to stand before God and give an account of everything about our lives.
Not just what we've done, but what we've said.
What we've thought.
D.A. Carson went on to point out that King David understood this about God,
which led him to write this after his sin with Bathsheba.
It's like a prayer from Psalm 139.
He writes,
Carson explains this verse clearly.
Now, look at this.
He concludes,
If you think holy thoughts, you'll be holy.
If you think garbage, you'll be garbage.
Carson is right in saying that from God's perspective,
the real measure of an individual lies in what they think.
That's why David wanted to be accountable to God for what he thought.
That's why he said, search me, O God, and know my heart.
Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
David wanted to know, if my thinking is not right, show me, Lord.
Don't let me have the wrong kinds of thoughts and desires because I'll act on it.
What I think will come out in what I say and in what I do.
And so David prayed, search me, O God, and know my heart.
Test me and know my anxious thoughts with the idea, make it known to me
so that I can confess sinful thoughts,
change unhealthy thoughts before I act on it.
Jesus clearly taught that the source of our sinful behavior is our sinful thinking,
our sinful thoughts and desires.
Look at these verses.
From the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said this,
You have heard that it was said to those of old,
You shall not murder.
And whoever murders will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother
will be liable to judgment.
He's talking about murder begins in the heart, in the mind, with anger.
He goes on to say,
You have heard that it was said you should not commit adultery.
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Adultery begins in the heart, in the mind, in fantasies.
And then look at one more.
We've looked at this in recent times,
but I want to just look at this as a reminder.
Jesus said this,
What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart,
and this defiles a person.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts,
murder, adultery, sexual immorality,
theft, false witness, slander.
Now I want you to note, think about these verses.
Jesus doesn't really make a distinction
between our thoughts and our desires.
It's all a part of what's inside us.
Sometimes we think about it in terms of these thoughts,
these desires, these attitudes, these feelings.
It's all what's inside.
And that's where whatever comes out begins.
Now, in the last two messages I preached,
I used the title, Thinking Biblically.
The first one was about governmental authority
with a special emphasis on law enforcement men and women
being the ones who enforce the laws.
They're the agents of governmental authority.
And then thinking biblically about race.
My goal was for us to look at those two current hot-button issues
from a biblical perspective
instead of just a personal feeling perspective
or even our culture's perspective.
As Christians, it's important that we learn to think biblically.
Some people in describing this concept
talk about developing a Christian worldview
or developing a biblical worldview.
The idea is we as Christians, we need to learn to look at life,
all of life, through the lens of Scripture.
We need to learn to look at life,
what's going on around about us,
and be able to discern truth and error,
right and wrong, good and bad,
as we'll see in the passage in a moment,
what is lovely, what's not.
Today, I want us to step back a little bit
and look at what it means to think biblically in general.
And one of the best places to start
is found in Philippians chapter 4, verse 8.
It's going to be on the screen.
A lot of you know this because Philippians chapter 4
is a lot of people's favorite chapter in the Bible.
But let's look at it together.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Now, before we get into that,
I think it's interesting how several commentators
point out that these qualities,
look at it on the screen there,
you know, whatever is true,
honorable, just, pure,
these kind of qualities.
They're not uniquely Christian virtues.
In the Greek world,
here in Philippi,
Macedonia, where Paul was writing,
as these people had this read to them,
Paul's letter read to them,
they were familiar with these concepts
being admirable,
what a person,
a right, good person,
would seek to,
how they would seek to live.
I want you to look at how Frank Thielman
describes how these were common,
desirable qualities in the ancient world.
He says,
the list of virtues that Paul asked the Philippians
to think about
is not a distinctively Christian list
and could have been embraced
by many right-thinking people in ancient times.
It also assumes that the pagan world
had some notion of good and bad,
right and wrong,
duty and irresponsibility,
beauty and ugliness,
honor and shame.
He says elsewhere,
Paul speaks of Gentiles
who have the requirements of God's law
written on their hearts
and says that occasionally
they actually do these things.
That's in Romans 2.
What this is describing is that
all human beings
are created in God's image.
And so all people,
unbelievers
of all stripes,
all people have a sense of conscience,
a sense of what's right and wrong,
what's good and bad.
Now everybody's conscience is not the same.
Some people have a very tender conscience.
They are easily convicted of something being,
they have a lot of guilt maybe,
easily it comes.
Some people have a more calloused conscience.
And our conscience changes over time.
Some people become harder.
Some people become softer.
As Christians,
the Holy Spirit lives within us.
And the Holy Spirit
enlightens our conscience.
And so we as Christians,
we should have a conscience
that is sensitive to the Holy Spirit
and we are from within.
We have a desire to do what
the Bible would say is what is right,
what is good.
And not do what would be not right,
what would be evil.
We should be people who desire
to speak the truth,
to be truthful,
not to lie,
not to be easily led astray
by that which is not true.
But more often than not,
people violate their own conscience.
Christians and unbelievers
by consciously choosing wrong over right.
That's what sin is.
We violate our conscience,
our God-given sense of right and wrong.
We violate the clear teachings of Scripture.
We break God's laws.
That's the effect that sin has on us.
And Paul explains that in detail
in Romans chapter 1,
verse 18,
through chapter 3,
verse 20,
a long, lengthy explanation
about what sin does
in a person's life.
Now,
Paul understood how powerful
sin affects our thinking.
It powerfully impacts
how we think.
He also knew that the key
to changing the way that we think,
or changing the way that we live,
is to change the way we think.
If you want to change some things
about your life,
generally speaking,
is first of all,
you've got to change your attitude,
your thought process.
You've got to change the way you think
in order to change the way that you live.
Now,
that's why he calls us to think rightly,
or think biblically,
in verse 8.
So let's look at now
what this means.
What does it mean
to think biblically?
Well,
anytime we look at a question like this,
I think it's important
to answer, first of all,
what it does not mean.
Thinking biblically
does not mean that you deny reality.
I'm sure there's some people
in this room,
you thought,
as we read through that verse,
verse 8 there,
finally, brothers,
whatever's true,
honorable,
just,
pure,
lovely,
think about these things.
And I'm sure some people said,
how in the world can you do that
and live in the world
we live in today?
This world we live in today
is anything but true
and honorable
and lovely
and pure
and all of that.
So what you're saying is
to think this way,
you've just sort of got to
close your eyes
what's going on around about you.
No.
Paul would never say that.
Jesus never taught
anything like that.
As Christians,
we are never to pretend
that all is right
with the world.
We're not supposed
to close our eyes
to the cold,
harsh realities of life.
That's just a part of
what is
the world we live in.
D.A. Carson
explains this well.
Look at this
in writing about
verse 8.
This is not
some escapist
demand
to avoid
the harsh realities
of our fallen world.
The sad fact is
that many people
dwell on dirt
without grasping
that it's dirt.
The wise Christian
will see plenty
of dirt
in the world
but will recognize
it as dirt
precisely because
everything that is clean
has captured
his or her mind.
There is much
around about us
that is opposite
of these virtues
Paul lists.
There's a lot
around about us
you see
in people's lives.
You see
in the media
things that are untrue
that are dishonorable
that are unfair
that are filthy
that are ugly.
That's what Carson
is calling dirt.
And the problem
is that too many
of us as Christians
don't recognize
the dirt.
Or even worse
we don't mind
the dirt.
We accept it.
we embrace it.
We
live it.
What we need
to do
in order to learn
to think biblically
we need to recognize
the dirt around
about us
in this world
wherever it is
in whomever
it's in.
We need to call
it what it is.
If we can
clean it up
we have that kind
of power
influence
we need to get
involved
and try to
clean it up.
If we can't
we need to avoid
what we can avoid.
We don't need
to dirty ourselves
with the world's dirt.
That's
I want you to understand.
Paul is saying
when he talks about
think about what's true
and lovely and honorable.
He doesn't mean
pretend that everything's good.
He does not say
and be naive.
But what does he mean?
Well thinking biblically
means that we need
to think
intentionally
about the right
kinds of things.
We need to learn
to think rightly
think biblically
and what he's doing
here is listing
several ways
that we actually
do that
in this list.
Let's start looking
at it today
and we'll come back
and finish it next week.
Number one
think about
whatever is true.
Whatever is true.
We need to think
that way.
Now broadly speaking
truth is that
which corresponds
to reality.
Kent Hughes
describes it like this.
Everything that is true
is from God
because all truth
is God's truth.
All things
that are true
that's God's truth.
Wherever is true
and right
wherever you find it
in this world
that is of God.
Q's goes on to say
this mind seeks
whatever is true
in every avenue
of life
from faith
to science
to relationships
to public life
to business.
Paul is telling us
to think
whatever is true.
Think that way
in every realm of life
wherever you see it
even a pagan
even in a place
you didn't think
you'd see it
that which is true
that which corresponds
to reality
learn from it.
Learn from him
or her.
That's in the
general sense.
In this general sense
we're to think
in terms of
what's real
what's accurate
what's rational
what
is proven
in any area
of life.
We're to do that
instead of
just believe
everything you read
on the internet
or believe
fall
victim to
every conspiracy
theory out there
about everything
that's happening
in the world today.
We need to be
discerning people
part of looking
for what the truth
is learning
to be wise
but more
specifically
whatever is true
refers to
whatever is ethical
whatever is truthful
whatever is
dependable
as opposed
to what is
deceptive
what is phony
what is
a lie.
The reason
that I preached
on
government authority
law enforcement
officers
carrying out
government authority
and race
in my last
two sermons
is to point out
a lot of the
untruthful
things
that are being
said in
mainstream media
and also
to describe
what is true
about governmental
authority
about race
according to
scripture.
Now since I
preached those
two sermons
I have found
an article
of an interview
with Ed Young
he is pastor
of Fellowship
Church in Texas
described as
one of North
America's
largest churches
they even have
satellite campuses
in other states
not just in
the Fort Worth
Dallas area.
In the interview
Ed Young
describes
how some
Christian leaders
have abandoned
the truth
about race.
Now listen
Ed Young
he has a father
who is pastor
of Second Baptist
Church of Houston
Edwin Young
some of you
may have heard
of him
he is a former
pastor in
Columbia
in Taylor
South Carolina
he has some
South Carolina
roots
well this is
Ed Young
Edwin's
son
I will have
sort of a
lengthy quote
here
I do not
agree with
every word
that he says
but I think
he makes
a very powerful
statement
someone in
his position
that we need
to hear
today.
look at this
woke Christian
leaders and
pastors today
are jumping
on the hype
train of what
culture is
currently
applauding
but they don't
really look at
what the hype
train is
connected to
for example
many of the
things culture
applauds are
connected to
relativism
abortion
transgenderism
the breakup of
the nuclear
family.
one example
of the hype
train
many Christians
have been
far too eager
to jump on
in recent
months
is the
promotion of
the Black
Lives Matter
organization.
I wholeheartedly
agree with the
phrase Black
Lives Matter
I believe in it
and the church
should champion
it.
We should
stand up for
equality and
justice.
I believe we
need to lead
out but I
can't support
or agree with
the core beliefs
of the organization
Black Lives Matter
matter.
It is tied to
abortion,
homosexuality,
transgenderism and
the breakup of
the nuclear family
just to name a
few.
I want to stop
the quote.
The Black Lives
Matter organization
does not truly
believe that all
black lives
matter.
They do not
believe that the
lives of black
law enforcement
officers matter.
in the riots
and looting that
has taken place
since Memorial
Day, there have
been at least
two black law
enforcement officers
or former
officers who
were killed by
the rioters, by
the anarchists.
police officers
and the Black
Lives Matter
organization has
said nothing
about the
murder of
these two black
officers.
There have been
black businessmen.
One received a lot
of national attention,
a former fireman
who scraped
together everything
he had, had his
own business.
And in one of the
riots, it was
burned to the
ground.
There was another
city in which a
black business owner
wrote on the
window of his
business.
This is a black
owned business.
They broke out the
windows of his
business.
The Black Lives
Matter organization
does not care about
all black lives.
They do not care
about black
conservatives.
They do not care
about the lives of
black Bible-believing
Christians.
And I say that and
can back that because
of their silence.
when black
policemen are
killed, black
business owners lose
everything they have
and their very
statements of who
they are and what
they are deny
basic Christian
values as Ed Young
pointed out just a
moment ago in that
quote.
I want to continue
with Young's quote
now.
Racism is an obvious
issue that must always
be addressed.
We must call it out
and point people to
the answers found in
the person of Jesus
Christ.
I'm all for supporting
legislation that
pushes the ball of
equality down the
field.
But real change is
only going to happen
when we have a heart
transformation.
Too many leaders are
fearful to stand.
Where is the
boldness?
Both sides of the
aisle have dropped
the ball.
We must have open
conversations, face our
fears, and find
solutions that work.
I think that we have
more of a systemic sin
problem in our world
than a skin problem.
Most people I know
aren't racist.
I want to stop there
and I want to make that
statement as well.
Most people I know in
this world are not
racist.
But according to the
mainstream media,
everybody who is white
is a racist in this
country today, it
seems.
Ed Young, most people
I know are not
racist.
Some are, and I know
some who are as well,
and they're wrong.
He says, some are,
yes.
And I believe there's a
skin problem.
I just don't believe it's
systemically the core
issue.
The real issue is sin,
not skin.
That's the root issue.
But we're too fearful to
say that because we could
be misunderstood and
maligned.
So what he's saying is that
we as Christians, especially
too many Christian leaders,
they're so afraid of being
misunderstood and maligned,
that they keep their
mouth closed, and by
their silence agree to
the lies and half-truths
that's being promoted by
the mainstream media day
after day after day.
We need to learn to think
about what is true and
about every issue in life,
regardless of what this
cultural hype train, and
those on it, rather, are
saying.
But I want to be real
clear.
Don't look for the
mainstream media in this
country today to find the
truth.
They don't know it.
The ones who do are not
allowed to speak.
They're fired.
If you're not liberal
enough, you can't work for
mainstream media today.
You'll be terminated.
It's the mainstream media
liberal, socialists, who
are driving today's
cultural hype train.
And they're going to run it
into the ground.
Eventually, they're going to
wreck our country if
they're not stopped.
And the only way to be
stopped is to combat their
lies with the truth.
combat their half-truths with
the full truth.
We're going to come back
next week and look at the
rest of Paul's list of
virtues here.
But I want to conclude
today by looking at where
we must look first to find
the truth.
So the second question
today, how do we develop the
habit of thinking biblically?
Well, the best way to learn to
think truthfully is through
consistent Bible reading and
study.
I want to be clear.
This is not the only way.
Paul said, look again in
verse 8, whatever is true, we
can find truth in many realms of
life.
But the first, the best source of
truth, the infallible source of
truth is the Word of God.
We need to understand it is
impossible for us to get rid of
the deception, lies, and garbage
that comes into our minds without
replacing it with an entirely
different way of thinking.
And I'm talking about biblical truth
is a different way of thinking.
You know, throughout Israel's
history, as you read through the
Old Testament, it seems that
everything, whenever something new
about to take place, a new leader
was installed, there was a great
emphasis for that leader to get
prepared to lead the people into
whatever the new endeavor was going
to be by saturating his mind with
the Word of God.
One of the best examples of that is
found in the first chapter of
Joshua.
Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader
of the nation of Israel.
And he was going to lead the people of
Israel into the promised land.
Here's one verse that emphasizes what
I'm talking about.
God said this to Joshua,
This book of the law shall not depart
from your mouth, but you shall
meditate on it day and night, so that
you may be careful to do according to
all that is written in it.
For then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have
good success.
That was God's way of saying, Joshua,
If you want to have success, you've got
to do things my way, according to my
plan.
You know, we live in a day where
everyone is busy.
Everyone is busy.
And most people's minds are filled with
a lot of clutter.
A lot of things that don't matter.
A lot of things could be just called
junk.
Kent Hughes describes this as our
greatest danger today.
Look at this.
The greatest danger in our busy,
increasingly post-literate world
is that we make little or no effort
to think God's thoughts after Him.
To hide His word in our hearts
so that we may not sin against Him.
That comes from Psalm 119.11.
We cannot be profoundly influenced
by that which we do not know.
I said earlier, the Spirit of God
lives in every Christian.
He influences us according to the
truth of God's word.
But we're going to miss out on some
of His influence if we don't know
the truth of God's word.
Jesus emphasized this.
You know, before Jesus, on the night
He was arrested, He was going to be
crucified the next day.
Jesus prayed for His people.
Here's an example of, or here's part
of His prayer.
It's in John 17.
Jesus prayed for our spiritual growth,
our sanctification.
He prayed like this.
Sanctify them by the truth.
Your word is truth.
There's no way in the world we can
be growing Christians apart from
regularly reading and studying
God's word.
There's no way we're going to be
sanctified, as Jesus said,
apart from the truth of God's word
saturating our minds.
You know, Paul said in Romans 12, too,
that the only way we can avoid
conforming to the mindset of this world
is by renewing our minds.
And what he was talking about
was learning to think
about that which is true.
Learning to think biblically.
Let's wrap it up.
I want you to think with me now.
I've got some questions.
How well are you dealing with
the deception of this world?
Do you read, watch,
do you take in the information,
the news that comes from this world
in a discerning way?
Do you try to sift through
what you hear, see, read?
Try to discover that which is true,
that which is obviously not,
that which is very biased.
How well are you dealing
with the deception of this world?
Number two,
do you need to make some changes
in the way that you think?
Do you need to make some changes
in the things you are exposing
your mind and heart to?
Things you're taking in.
Because what you're taking in
affects what you think,
how you feel,
and it comes out in how you speak
and how you live.
Do you, as a Christian,
maybe need to make a new commitment
to daily read God's Word?
I mean, read it
in order to get into your mind
who God is, how He is,
what His will is,
what pleases Him,
what doesn't please Him,
that kind of thing.
You need to make a commitment
to daily read His Word
and regularly study it.
Now, for an example,
we're studying God's Word together
here on Sunday mornings.
Eventually, we'll start back Sunday school
and we'll do it there too.
There is more good, solid,
biblical teaching available online today
than any time in the world in history.
Our church subscribes to Right Now Media,
which gives us access
to all kinds of good, solid Bible teaching.
You need to take advantage of that
more than you are now
to help you to think more biblically.
You know, that's the first
and best source of truth available to us.
I want to encourage you
to set a time and place
that you're going to read God's Word every day
if you're not already doing that.
Make an appointment with God
and ask God to help you
not just to read it,
not just to read the words,
but to think about it,
to believe it.
Ask God to help you to understand it.
Ask God to help you
to put it into practice,
to teach it even
and model it to people around you,
your friends, your family members.
And when I say
make an appointment with God
and read His Word,
do what you have time to do.
I want to encourage you
to start in the New Testament.
Start in the New Testament.
Whether it's morning, noon, or night,
make it a habit of reading
a paragraph, a chapter,
whatever you have time to do
with a prayer.
God, teach me.
Help me to understand.
Help me to do it.
Help me to model it.
We need, as Christians,
more than any other time in history,
to learn to think.
A lot of you, your job,
your schoolwork requires you
to truly think.
Put yourself into it.
But when it comes to
living out your faith,
reading God's Word,
you're a dummy.
Because you ignore it.
Or because you skim it.
Because you don't take it
as seriously
as you do your schoolwork
or your job.
And that's an indictment on you
if that's the case
and your commitment to God
and to living for Him
in this world.
And if that's the case,
it can change today.
Confess and repent of that
as sin.
And ask God to help you
to get even more serious
about knowing Him
and His way and His will
through His Word
than you are about your schoolwork
and you are about your job.
Be committed to your schoolwork.
Be committed to your job.
Just be more committed to God
and live in life His way.
As revealed in His Word.
Let's pray together.
Father,
show us how we should respond
so that we can
be Christians,
your men and women
who think biblically
and as a result
who live like your people
and have the kind of influence
you want us to have
as your representatives.
Let's just pray.
Talk to God.
Listen to God.
Obey God
during these next few minutes.
Keep us a prayer.
God bless you.