WEEK SIX
Day Two
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Philippians 4:8
LEADER GUIDE QUESTIONS
Week Six Download
PDF FORMAT
Download
Know: Read Philippians 4:8-9
Note: Read slowly, carefully marking keywords.
True, Noble, Pure, Lovely, Good Report, Virtue, Praiseworthy, Good Report, Praiseworthy
Observation:
What things are we to meditate (think) on?
Whose example are we to follow?
What: What is the key to right living?
“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.” Philippians 4:8-9
Think of what happens when we hear good news after being inundated with bad. When fed a diet of bad news, good news can fill our hearts and change our perspective on life. When we face trouble, our children’s bad choices, politics, natural disasters, etc., it becomes the focus of our minds, and we default to negativity and worry. We will be the bearers of worry and fear instead of helping others take their eyes off the concern and focus on the good and beautiful.
Paul tells us to take anything we see or hear and filter it through the lens of Jesus.
True- The Word of God is a revelation of God’s will for everyone. Hebrews 10:9 reveals Jesus's statement before He was sent to us, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” For example, concerning sickness: Jesus bore our sickness and our diseases through the punishment of lashes on His body. That was the will of God revealed concerning the healing of our bodies. The reality of sickness and disease does not change the truth of God’s Word, revealed through Jesus. No matter how we feel, Truth is a greater fact. The Word is our final authority. We do not judge God’s Word by experience; instead, we judge our experience by the person of Jesus Christ. God does not change the truth to agree with our reality, what we feel (facts), or what the truth should be. We must change our minds to agree with Him.
Noble- The Greek word for noble is also interchanged with “honest” and has to do with good character. Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.” To have a good name is to be known by your character. When someone accuses you, can your friends and family vouch that you are who you say you are and not what your accusers say? Are you true to your word, or do people not take you seriously when you say something because they know you say one thing and do another? Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no’s,” “no.” When we think of noble things, we should be someone who mines the gold in people’s character instead of mentally accusing them. Assume the best; if someone does not have good character, speak the opposite of what you see. Words have power- God has called us sons when we acted like orphans. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners; we can also take hold of the value in people and call that forth.
Just- To think justly is to think “righteously.” Somebody recently told me that we should all be able to handle hearing the truth about ourselves if we are going to mature. I couldn’t agree more. I know she meant that we should be able to handle hearing the bad stuff so we can face it and deal with it, but when we focus on the bad, we will believe that is who we really are. Paul tells us that focusing on the “right” is to agree with what God has said about you. If He calls you the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, agree with Him. Right behavior always follows right belief.
Pure- The Greek word for pure means “clean.”
Before Jesus washed his disciple’s feet at the Last Supper, He approached Peter first. Peter told Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (John 13:8 ) Jesus said Peter would have no part “with” Him, not “in” Him. Jesus said, “If you don’t let Me wash your feet, you won’t be able to share life with Me. You won’t be able to take part in what I’m doing.” (This speaks of a life of faith. Living from the inside out.)
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:9 ) In other words, “ I want to partner with You, but I’m not clean enough!” Peter was not talking about his physical hands and his physical head. He would have known the Old Testament scriptures that spoke of the priest when he was consecrated, having to wash all over in the laver's water before he could go into the Holy Place and approach the presence of God. Peter was conscious of his sin, which disqualified him from partnership with Jesus. He knew his thoughts weren’t always pure, and his hands did things that weren’t holy.
In John 13:10-11, Jesus said, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean [katharos – unstained with the guilt of anything]; and you are clean, but not all of you.” [speaking of Judas] 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore, He said, “You are not all clean.”
If you have been bathed, “you are completely clean!” All you need to do is wash your feet. So what bath makes us completely clean?
The Greek word for “bathed” is the word “louo”, and it is the same word used in Revelation chapter 1: “To Him who loved us and washed [“louo”] us from our sins in His own blood.” (Revelation 1:5 ) (Past tense.) You were washed – bathed from all your sins in His blood. It’s the aorist Greek verb tense – meaning one-and-done, never to be repeated. This is the all-over-bath in the blood of Jesus that removes our sin. How could the disciples be “already clean” before the New Covenant was enacted in Jesus’ blood? Jesus had not yet gone to the cross.
Jesus symbolically demonstrated for His disciples their future reality, which would be accomplished through His death on the cross. ( Jesus lived in the finished work. While He walked on the earth, He was still the Son of God who lives outside of time.) Blood and water came out of Jesus’ side. Notice that blood comes first. And then water. We’re made righteous by the blood once and for all. There is nowhere in the New Testament where it says to re-apply the blood. When we sin today, we must understand that we have been bathed once and for all.
“Wash” is a Greek word different from the one used for “bathed.” “Wash” is the word “nipto.” It’s used for washing a part of the body, not the whole body. In this case, just the feet represent our walk in the world. Our feet get dusty, dirty, and grimy walking around in this dark world. “Water” represents the word. But what is “the word”?
Ephesians 5 tells us:
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27 )
“The word” that sanctified and cleansed us and presented us before Him as having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing is Jesus. “Just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her!” THE WORD has cleansed us. That’s what the water represents.
Nothing can separate you from His love.
Lovely— This also means acceptable and pleasing.
We must wash in the water of the word daily: “You are all fair, My love. There is no spot in you. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”
“Yet now He [God] has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.” (Colossians 1:22-23, NLT )
This is how we can speak over each other.
Good Report- What is a good report? The things that sound good, according to the Greek definition. The gospel should sound like good news because it is! If we are telling people that they are rebellious sinners who God’s wrath is opposed to, we are sharing the bad news of a pagan god. We MUST share the good news that God came and reconciled the world back to himself and that He saved them from the kingdom of darkness that has kept them in bondage- they are free!
Excellent and Praiseworthy- We are transformed by the renewing (changing) of our minds. When we look to the person of Jesus and see all He has done and given to us, our minds begin to line up with that truth and will become reality. All that Christ is is excellent and praiseworthy.
This is what Paul was trying to convey. We become what we behold. When we see Jesus, we begin to think like him, which leads to acting like him. Paul had experienced this reality, so he knew this was possible.
Right believing leads to true freedom, leading to right living. Paul urged the church to follow his example because it could be true for each of us if it is true of him.