Immanuel - Mankato Bible Class
Study of Philippians – Lesson 17
May 13, 2001
Philippians 4:8-9

Philippians 4:8-9 [NKJV]

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Literal Translation: "Finally, brethren, everything that is true, everything respectable, everything just, everything pure, everything that encourages love, everything praiseworthy, if anything (is) morally excellent and if anything (is) worthy of praise, let your minds dwell earnestly on these things. Those things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in connection with me, practice those same things, and the God of peace will be with you."

What better advice could Paul offer us within the context of our present world than these words, which make up the final evangelical admonition of his letter? He had informed the Philippians of his situation and prospects. He had encouraged them to live their lives with Christ-like attitudes and actions. He had reaffirmed the doctrine of salvation by grace alone without human works and had reminded them that their citizenship lay in heaven. He had urged them to rejoice in their Lord and to lay out all of their concerns in prayer. Now, in this final admonition, which brings to a conclusion the doctrinal and practical instruction of the epistle, Paul turns to their inner being and those things, which influence them.

He urges them to surround themselves with and earnestly to dwell on those things only, which are excellent in every way. Our thoughts guide both our words and our actions. A common expression in the computer industry is "garbage in, garbage out." If a computer is programmed with bad information, it will produce bad results, while if the information fed into the computer is good, the results will be as well. In the same way, if our minds are programmed day in and day out with the filth of this world, our words and actions will reflect the same. If, on the other hand, we surround ourselves with those things, which are true, respectable, pure, morally excellent and praiseworthy, then our words and actions cannot but help to encourage love. Such love will bring blessing into our lives and those of everyone who associates with us!

It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to monitor the environments in which we live, work, and play. It may be difficult to control the language of the workplace, but we can certainly insist that profanity has no place in our Christian homes or our personal vocabularies. We cannot control the content of the movies shown at the local theaters, but we can control the television knobs in our family rooms and the types of movies we permit to be shown there. We are in a position to determine the quality of the music to which we listen and the types of books and magazines we permit ourselves to read. Let no one underestimate the challenge we face in our present world as we strive to fulfill Paul’s words. In a recent survey, it was determined that one out of every five Americans has logged on to pornographic sites on the Internet, and that number more than doubled when the survey narrowed the pool of respondents down to America’s clergy. It is vitally important that we say, "no," to the gross immorality of our world and, "yes," to those things, which will enhance and strengthen our life in Christ!

If our words and actions serve to encourage love and, thereby, help to build up our brethren in faith, love, and hope, the God of peace will surely be with us! Such peace, after all, is a fruit of faith, the object of which is God’s grace. God’s greatest desire for us is that we, our sins having been forgiven for the sake of Jesus, might be reconciled to Him in love and so experience true peace of mind and conscience. What greater blessing can we experience? With God beside us, and His peace within us, we can approach our future, both here in this world and beyond, with absolute confidence!

Discussion Topics:

  1. "You can create your own environment!" Discuss the validity of that statement and its importance given Paul’s admonition. How might one go about it as a member of a Christian family or as an individual Christian?
  2. Share with each other materials or sources of materials, which meet Paul’s standards of Philippians 4:8.
  3. Many individuals, including many Christians, believe that they can allow themselves to be surrounded by the sinful influences of this world without being affected. Discuss the wisdom of such an attitude and consider any Bible passages, which might apply to someone embracing such an attitude.
  4. Why is "peace" such an important blessing of God? Discuss how we obtain it and the fruits it produces in our lives.