PREPARATION. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group.

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1 CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE? THINK ABOUT THIS PHILIPPIANS 4:8 APRIL 24, 2016

2 PHILIPPIANS 4:8 APRIL 24, 2016 TEACHING PLAN PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying Philippians 4:8. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for our pastors, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study. HIGHLIGHTS BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: Paul instructs believers to dwell on what is good and holy. TEACHING AIM: Right living begins with right thinking. When we focus our thoughts on things that inspire worship to God and service to others, the Holy Spirit is faithful to rewire our thoughts in a way that leads to pure motives, wise thinking, and right living. 2 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

3 INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. 1 What do you spend most of your time thinking about? 2 Do you think you can control your thought process? Why or why not? 3 Have you ever worried so much you felt sick? Do you believe your thoughts can make you feel physically ill? Why or why not? Our thoughts have a tremendous influence on our lifestyle. You may have heard someone say, To change our life we must change our thinking. The reason that is true is because we will always act on what we truly believe. The Bible has a lot to say about the importance of our thought life. Sin begins in the mind, but so does righteous living. The apostle Paul instructs believers to spend time dwelling on what is good and holy. As we dwell on these things, the Holy Spirit rewires our thoughts; our rewired thoughts, then, lead to good choices. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. > Have a volunteer read Philippians 4:8. What types of things does Paul tell believers to think about? What does it mean to dwell on something? The first thing Paul instructs us to think about is that which is true. This might seem like an obvious thing for us to do, but in reality, many of us waste countless hours worrying about things that aren t 3 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

4 true or will likely never happen. A man named Dr. Walter Calvert conducted a study on worry that was funded by the National Science Foundation. His study showed that 40 percent of the things we worry about never happen. 30 percent of the things we worry about are events that happened in the past. 12 percent of our worries are over unfounded health issues. 10 percent of our worries are trivial in nature. He found that only 8 percent of the things we worry about are real and legitimate issues. Yet, the enemy loves to tempt us to worry because worrying takes our eyes off of God and drains us of much needed energy. The primary way the enemy attacks us is in our minds. John 8:44 refers to Satan as the father of lies. Do you think the enemy tempts us to worry about things that aren t true so we focus our thinking on falsehoods? What perspective does this give you on a recent worry you have struggled with? What do you worry about most frequently? Glance at Philippians 4:6. What is Paul s prescription for dealing with worry? When Paul tells us not to worry and to focus on what is true, he isn t suggesting we stick our heads in the sand and live a life of denial. We will all go through seasons of struggle and face legitimate concerns, but Paul instructs us to pray about our troubles and entrust them to God He is able to bring peace and resolution. Glance back at Philippians 4:8. Upon what other virtues does Paul instruct believers to dwell? Do you think this list is realistic? Why or why not? 4 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

5 Practically speaking, how do we dwell on these things? In his book To Live Is Christ To Die Is Gain, Matt Chandler writes of a practical way to dwell on what is honorable and pure: Should He grant me longevity, I want to, when I am seventy or eighty years old, still get up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee with Lauren, hear about the crazy dreams she had the night before, and enjoy the morning with her and the Word of God. We re just a couple of old lovers who ve put a lot of time in. And we re drinking coffee and talking about our grandbabies who have come to know the Lord. That s a fantasy of mine, and this is what I do with it: when in the normal flow of life I see an attractive woman, and that attractive woman is flirtatious... I go back to that fantasy: me at eighty drinking a strong cup of coffee on the back porch, talking with my wife about the salvation of our grandchildren. That s something honorable to dwell on. Chandler goes on to explain that the same holds true for whatever is just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Think for a moment about the areas in your thinking where you are most prone to struggle. How can you apply a similar strategy to dwell on what is honorable, just, pure, commendable, or excellent? > Have a volunteer read Romans 12:2. How does Paul say we are to be transformed? When our mind is transformed, what will we be able to discern? As believers in Christ, we should experience a progressive renewing of our minds. Our minds are renewed when we pray, when we read and reflect on God s Word, when we worship, and when we meditate 5 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

6 on the acts of God. The Holy Spirit is faithful to transform our thinking in all areas, but the most common way He transforms us occurs when we engage in the spiritual disciplines. > Have a volunteer read 1 Corinthians 2: Glance back at verse 12. What does Paul say believers have received? According to verse 13, what does the Holy Spirit help us understand? Paul asserts that spiritual reception and transformation are brought about by the Holy Spirit to believers in Christ. Unbelievers, on the other hand, do not have the ability to comprehend the things of God. As believers continue to grow in our relationship with Christ, the Holy Spirit teaches us spiritual truths about God and rewires our thinking. As our thought process changes, our desires and priorities will change as well. Our thoughts affect every aspect of our lives. We need to be people who are mindful of what we think about. APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 Are you pursuing a transformed mind through the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, and worship? Have you asked the Holy Spirit to continue transforming your mind? Take a few minutes to do that now. 6 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

7 2 Do you worry about things you haven t prayed about? If so, how will you redirect your worries to prayer this week? Encourage group members to share ideas for how this has worked for them in the past. 3 What is one situation you will face this week where you need to pursue wise thinking in order to reflect Christ well? How can our group be praying for you? P R A Y Thank God for giving us the Holy Spirit to transform and teach us. Ask God to transform our thinking. Pray that each group member will be excellent thinkers and that their thought life will manifest in godly living. 7 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

8 FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up to your group with some or all of the following information: > Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: Have you examined your thought life this week? If so, what have you identified that needs adjusting? > A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group gathering. > The challenge to memorize Philippians 4:8. 8 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

9 COMMENTARY APRIL 24, 2016 PHILIPPIANS 4:8. 4:8-9 Seven qualities create an environment of peace. True is ethical truthfulness. Honorable is noble, to be respected. Just is giving people what they deserve. Pure is holy in relation to God. Lovely, mentioned only here in the NT, is attractive. Commendable, also used only here in the NT, is praiseworthy. Excellence refers to moral excellence. Praise is bringing God praise. The God of peace complements the peace of God (v. 7) in that life with these characteristics encourages God s presence. Notes ROMANS 12:2. 12:1-2 Paul commonly used the indicative mode of speech to make statements about what God has done for us before using the imperative mode to outline our proper response (e.g., Therefore... I urge you). The order of presentation is doctrine first, and then duty. Our worship entails offering our bodies as a living sacrifice, which means dedication of the total person to living for God s honor. Christians are to be different from non-christian society. We should experience a progressive transformation of life by the renewing of our mind. The mind is changed by prayer, by reading and reflection on God s Word, by worship, and by meditation on God s acts as the Holy Spirit works in us. 1 CORINTHIANS 2: :11 Paul used an analogy of the lesser to the greater. Just as the human spirit (Gk pneuma) within a man knows what he is thinking, so also the Spirit (Gk pneuma) of God knows the thoughts of God. 2:12 Paul declared that with the reception of the Spirit... from God, a person understands that Christ and Him crucified (v. 2) is actually the highest wisdom. 2:13 Spiritual reception is brought about by the Spirit s revelation to spiritual people (Gk pneumatikoi; lit spiritual ones ). 9 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church

10 COMMENTARY APRIL 24, 2016 Spiritual people is probably equivalent to those capable of understanding (i.e., mature ) in verse 6. 2:14 The unbeliever (Gk psuchikos anthropos) is identified as a person who does not have the Spirit from God; therefore, he does not welcome (lit receive, embrace ) what comes from God s Spirit. He is not able to know the gospel that comes from God s Spirit because he considers it foolishness. It is the Spirit who convicts and reveals. Throughout chapters 1-2, foolishness is always a reference to Christ and Him crucified, or the gospel, the wisdom of God. 10 Think About This Brentwood Baptist Church