Whatsoever is True

Whatsoever is True October 15, 2017 Philippians 4:1-9 19th Sunday of Pentecost Year A Children’s Sermon…… Exegetical Aim: To demonstrate the nearness of God. Props: None needed. Lesson: Good morning. Today I want you to help me with a game. The game is called "Near and Far." Would you like me to show you how it works? (response) Okay. Here goes. I will call out the name of something that is in this church, and I want you to tell me if it is near or far. Call out three things in the sanctuary that are far away and three things that are near enough to be reached by your hand. Have the children call out "far" or "near" depending on each thing. How did you know what was near to me? (response) Did you notice that I can reach out and touch with my hand everything that was near? [Demonstrate by quickly reaching out and touching the things that were called out as near.] These things are near because they are close to my hand. We have a phrase that means "near." The phrase is, "At hand," because things that are near are at our hands. Application: The Apostle Paul wanted us to remember that about Jesus Christ. He said that we should always be living for Christ because the Lord is at hand. So we don't have to worry when things look bad, because even when things go wrong, who is at hand? (Jesus) Yes. The Lord is at hand. So the next time you look at your hand, remember to say thank you to God for letting Jesus Christ be so near to us. Remember the Bible verse. Say it with me: The Lord is at hand. Let's Pray: Thank you, God, for Jesus Christ. Thank you that the Lord is at hand, that he is always near. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, Children's Sermons A to Z, by Brett Blair Philippians 4:1-9Common English Bible (CEB) Stand firm in the Lord 4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters whom I love and miss, who are my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord. Loved ones, 2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to come to an agreement in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I’m also asking you, loyal friend, to help these women who have struggled together with me in the ministry of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the scroll of life. 4 Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! 5 Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. 7 Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. 8 From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. 9 Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Northwestern won their game yesterday! Yeah! And Wilmington won their game also! So today we get to have another sermon about Northwestern. Today I want to talk about the Northwestern seal – which is a book written in Greek surrounded by rays of light. The greek in the bible, is written in latin right above the book. The book on the seal is the bible, and latin phrase – quaecumque sunt vera- meaning whatsoever things are true. The greek is more complete – in saying whatsoever things are true – think on these things. It is a sentence that comes from our text for today in Philippians 4:1-9. If you come to my house I have a hug picture in the living room with that verse on it, and if you get am email from me, you will see that it is my email signature. Northwestern is not the only university that uses that phrase as a motto – which is appropriate for a university to encourage people to think and carefully consider truth, and to see the value of thinking about things that are excellent, admirable, true, holy, just, pure and worthy of praise. I have actually been to Phillipi in Greece, it is on the ignation way – the main roman road going through Greece. If you keep driving 6 hours north on that highway you will get to Macedonia. Philippi is this little hole in the wall town off of the highway. It is no longer a living city, just ruins. There is not even a parking lot, we had to get off of the tour bus on the highway, even the souvenir shop was just a stop on the highway. A tour guide met our group and showed us all of the significant places in towns. The town could not have been no larger that a mile wide and long, but there were about 5 different churches in town. We saw the jail where Paul and Silas sang. And I remember the tour guide showed us church A. when they were formed as a congregation, they had decided that they were only going to build a building on biblical principle. If it was not in the bible, they were not going to use it to build the church – sounds like something a Baptist church would do. Well anyway- they built the church and within months it fell totally to the ground. And another church that you cant build a church just on biblical principles. You have to use some geometry and architecture skills which are not listed in the bible, but they are still from God. God is truth, beauty, excellent, thus God must be in the math. There are some things that are not found in the bible, and they are still true, thus they are still from God – Hence the phrase – whatsoever things are true think on these things. That is the story that the tour guide gave us and I am sticking to it. But this verse says so much more that reminding us that we are what we think. Paul would have been in jail in Rome when writing this letter. And he was addressing divisions in the church. Apparently Euodia and Syntyche were fighting over something, and Paul addresses them as colleagues in the field. He does not tell us what they were fighting over – and it does not matter. All fights are the same. One church decided that they were going to split over mashed potatoes. One group of ladies decided that the only way to serve mashed potatoes at the annual dinner was to make them from scratch, and another group of ladies insisted on making instant potatoes. Well I know which side I would be on in that fight, but the point was they could not agree and wanted to split. Paul says that instead of getting caught up in the details of the fight – that we should rejoice – rejoice in the lord and be glad. Like I said before – we are what we think. Thus it is important for us to think happy thoughts. According to Dr. Elinore Kinarthy, the average person has more than two hundred negative thoughts a day: worries, jealousies, insecurities, cravings for forbidden things, etc. Depressed people have as many as six hundred. We can’t eliminate all the troublesome things that go through our minds, but we can reduce the number of negative thoughts by changing our focus. (3) When Paul tells Euodia and Syntyche to not worry but be happy – he is not being facetious. And a lot of times the modern world tends to frown upon people who are happy all of the time, and not being grounded in reality. But you have to understand that Paul understood that this was an anxious congregation in an anxious town in an anxious situation. They were on the outskirts of Greece, I think it was a 2 or 3 hour drive from our hotel in Thessolonica. It was a town of retired roman soldiers, who were worried about how they were going to survive. And as the anxiety rose, so did the tension. And as the tension rose – the more people cared about how the mash potatoes were cooked and they started to attack one another. Paul gives two words of asvice – first of all take all of that conflict and turn it into compassion and gratitude. Be thankful for what God has done for you and celebrate it. Many years ago, Dr. Arthur Caliandro was asked to visit a woman who was hospitalized after a devastating plane crash. She was angry, bitter, and depressed. Dr. Caliandro tried to comfort her, but the woman rejected every positive thing he said. According to Caliandro, her philosophy seemed to be, "œThis is the day the devil has made, let us complain and be miserable in it." Even after the woman recovered fully, her negative attitude remained. On the other hand, Dr. Caliandro tells of another woman named Helen Baker. Helen has spent her life in pain from a rare nerve disorder. But she thanks God every day for the chance to witness to others through her illness. She even thanks God for the strength she has gained from her troubles. (4) He tells us to stand tall in your faith. And let your faith shine through no matter what. One colleague called that state – nonanxious prayerfulness. Instead of praying and constantly asking for something, asking for God to fix it. Just turn it over to God and leave it there. There is an old legend about three men and their sacks. Each man had two sacks, one tied in front of his neck and the other tied on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, "In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done. That way they're hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me. Every now and then I stop, open the front sack, take the things out, examine them, and think about them." Because he stopped so much to concentrate on all the bad stuff, he really didn't make much progress in life. The second man was asked about his sacks. He replied, "In the front sack are all the good things I've done. I like to see them, so quite often I take them out to show them off to people. The sack in the back? I keep all my mistakes in there and carry them all the time. Sure they're heavy. They slow me down, but you know, for some reason I can't put them down." When the third man was asked about his sacks, he answered, "The sack in front is great. There I keep all the positive thoughts I have about people, all the blessings I've experienced, all the great things other people have done for me. The weight isn't a problem. The sack is like sails of a ship. It keeps me going forward. "The sack on my back is empty. There's nothing in it. I cut a big hole in its bottom. In there I put all the bad things that I can think about myself or hear about others. They go in one end and out the other, so I'm not carrying around any extra weight at all." What are you carrying in your sacks? H. Norman Wright, The Perfect Catch (Bethany House, 2000), pp.28-29; submitted by Bonne Steffen, editor, Wheaton, Illinois In this week’s epistle reading, Paul offers to the congregation at Philippi a road map to a new kind of existence—-an existence free from anxiety, a life free from worry and gnawing doubt, a life filled and fulfilled by what the apostle called “the peace of God which passes all understanding.” It only takes six words—-three couplets give precise directions to this place of peace. Are you ready? Here they are. Here is my translation of this part of today’s text: Be . . . . . Anxious in Nothing Prayerful in Everything Thankful in Anything Can you say that with me? Be . . . . Anxious in Nothing Prayerful in Everything Thankful in Anything. Or here is how I say it in mantra form: Anxious: Nothing Prayerful: Everything Thankful: Anything . . . Can you say that with me? Anxious Nothing Prayerful Everything Thankful Anything. You want to experience the peace? You want the peace of God, “the peace that passes all understanding?” Then follow those directions and, Paul promises, you will find the “peace of God,” your own personal “garth” among the landscape. Once again, let’s say the six words together. Anxious: Nothing Prayerful: Everything Thankful: Anything. We are what we think. If we think negativity, we will live negativity and we will see it in others. But the God that we serve is a God of truth, excellence, holiness, worthiness, beauty. From now on, brothers and sister, if anything is excellent, and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things. All that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all the is love , all that is worthy of praise. Think on these things. And the God of peace will be with you! Let us pray…. Extra sermon illustrations…. You’ve heard the saying, "You are what you eat." I believe it is also true that you are what you "think." To understand, we "stand under" another. Behavior is what we do. Attitude is why we do it. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Pastor Paul urges the Philippians and us to embrace the mind of Christ. And, to think noble thoughts: "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable" (Philippians 4:8). We Christians can disagree over some of the smallest, most ordinary things. Group therapy is now available for congregations who want to learn skills for getting along peaceably within the body of Christ. A congregational therapist tells the story of a church that almost split over the issue of mashed potatoes. I know it sounds a little trivial, but to the people involved, it was a most significant matter. The problem at hand was a proposed change at church fellowship dinners — whether to continue making mashed potatoes the old-fashioned way or to begin using instant potatoes. One faction declared that the only real mashed potatoes were the ones you lugged back from the supermarket in huge mesh bags, scrubbed, peeled, cut up, boiled, drained, and then mashed while you were adding milk, butter, salt, and pepper. The other group declared freedom, that a new day had dawned, and there was no longer time for so much preparation. The twenty-first century is a time to rejoice and give thanks for tasks made easier. Just boil water in the microwave, measure and pour potato flakes, stir, and, voila, mashed potatoes in minutes. And they most certainly are real. It says so right there on the box, "Real Mashed Potatoes." So, what is all the fuss about? The Visitor One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!" The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing. After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing. Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took your place." - Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. --1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.-- 2 Corinthians 12:9 Remember the story about the little boy who went to the church one Sunday morning with his grandmother. Grandmother’s approach to religion was stern and puritanical. The little boy saw a friend and smiled at him. The grandmother slapped his hand and said in a stage whisper: “Quit that grinning! Don’t you smile like that in church!!” Mora Naba, a Mossi emperor in Burkina Faso, had conquered a powerful ethnic group in the south called the Kaesena. He extracted tribute from them once each year. One year, at tribute collecting time, the emperor made the mistake of sending his son, Nabiiga, a prince and his heir apparent. When the Kaesena saw Nabiiga with only a very small entourage of guardians, they overpowered the group and took the prince hostage. His kingly robes were stripped from him, and he was forced to walk around in only a loincloth. The prisoner received only one meal per day and was forced out into the fields each morning to work. Normally, manual labor would be beneath the dignity of royalty, so the Kaesena made great sport of him. The women would pass by and belittle him. While he was working in the fields, the children would throw pebbles and stones at him. But, to the great surprise of all those watching from day to day, the Mossi prince would work and sing. He sang cheerfully with a loud voice as he worked from sun up to sun down. At first his soft hands blistered and then bled as he was unaccustomed to using farm equipment. He lost significant weight, but he continued to be cheerful and to sing. The elders of the Kaesena were much troubled by his singing and buoyant attitude. “How can he possibly sing,” they would continually ask, “since we make him sleep on the ground and make sport of him each day? We give him very little food, and he is forced to labor from sun up to sun down. Our women and our children mock him, but he continues to sing!” After a month of watching, they finally called him before a council. He stood in his loincloth straight and proud in their midst. The elder spokesperson for the Kaesena people asked the Mossi prince about his behavior: “Why do you sing?” Nabiiga answered, “It is true. You’ve taken away my fine clothes. You have made me work, you give me very little food to eat, and you make me sleep on the ground in a common hut. You have tried to take away all my pride and all my earthly possessions. You have brought great shame upon me. Now you ask me why, in spite of all this, I can sing. I can sing because you cannot take away my title and who I am. I am Moro Naba’s first son. I am proud of that and will never react to your shameful behavior!” The Kaesena people learned that they could not bring shame upon the Mossi prince because he was at peace and, therefore, could continue to sing. The peace that the prince felt inside was an active virtue manifest in his behavior; peace was not simply the absence of violence and war in his life. To become peacemakers, as the story suggests, we must proactively act and speak. As we light the third candle on the Advent wreath and know by the calendar, as well as Saint Paul’s words, that Jesus is near, we must consider our response to the challenge to rejoice and, thereby, bring peace. "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Do you understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving? Paul writes in Philippians 4: "œThink about all you can praise God for and be glad about." That's what today is for. It's not just about family, feasting and football. It is about stopping for a few moments and counting our blessings and, if need be, adjusting our attitudes. Most of us, if we really started counting our blessings would have a need to say, "œThank you" to somebody.