Meditate on These Things

In one paragraph

This message worked through Philippians 4:8, the verse calling believers to meditate on whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Pastor Blake took the congregation through each word slowly, asking them to think of their own examples rather than just receiving a list. The aim was to show that what we habitually think about shapes whether we experience...

Read together

1. Psalm 92 introduced as the source of the opening song sung by the congregation
2. Colossians 3:1-4 read aloud before prayer, on being raised with Christ and setting hearts on things above
3. Philippians 4:6-7 quoted as the passage from the previous week, on being anxious for nothing and the peace of God
4. Philippians 4:8 the main text of the sermon, listing things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy
5. Philippians 4:9 the second verse covered, on doing the things learned and received and heard and seen in Paul so the God of peace will be with you
6. Philippians 2 referenced for the parallel use of conditional ifs about consolation in love and comfort in Christ and fellowship in the Spirit
7. Philippians 3:17 cited as the verse just before the main passage, calling believers to follow Paul's example as a pattern
8. John 17 Jesus praying in the garden, quoted as saying father sanctify them by your truth your word is truth
9. Isaiah 1:18 alluded to in the phrase though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, used to illustrate the concept of purity
10. Micah 6:8 read as the closing benediction, on acting justly loving mercy and walking humbly with your God

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl talked about the peace that God gives in the middle of anxiety, and said that 'waiting is hard work.' Where in your life right now are you finding it hardest to wait on God, and what does that waiting feel like?
2. When Pastor Carl walked through the list in Philippians 4:8, he asked the congregation to think of personal examples for each quality. Which one of those words, true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy, is easiest for you to call something to mind, and which one is hardest? Why do you think that is?
3. Pastor Carl described his experience watching a woman mop floors in a Mexican hospital and said that to him that was nobility. What is an ordinary, everyday moment you have witnessed that you would call noble by that same measure?
4. He was honest that our phones and screens are neutral tools, but that what we actually consume on them often does not line up with Philippians 4:8. When you look at your own habits honestly, what do you spend the most mental and emotional energy on, and how does that match the list Paul gives?
5. Pastor Carl closed by sharing the story of Mia's first birthday and said it was 'the things that life really should be about.' What is a recent moment in your own life, maybe one you almost overlooked, that pointed you toward something true, lovely, or praiseworthy?