Summons to Godly Thinking

Driving home: Right thoughts are the mother of right actions. And right actions are the inevitable and necessary child of right thoughts.

Martin compares the climactic nature of Philippians 4:8-9 to the exhilarating conclusion of a classical symphony, where all instruments play at full tilt, rising to a mighty climax. This illustrates how Paul pulls together biblical and spiritual motifs for a powerful final statement.

Amen. From my personal knowledge of many of you in this congregation, I know that there are not a few of you who have at least some measure of appreciation for what is commonly called classical music, and you therefore know something of what is perhaps one of the most moving, the most stirring, the most exhilarating musical experiences, and I'm referring to the experience that comes when, towards the end of some of the well-known symphonies, or concertos, or concertae, for those of you that are chair-tied, for those of you that want to be more proper, you know what happens when in those musica...

2:35 - 4:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Right thoughts are the mother of right actions. And right actions are the inevitable and necessary child of right thoughts.

Martin quotes a commentator who poetically describes thoughts as 'weaving looms in the wonderful machinery of the soul,' running day and night to weave the garments the soul wears. This metaphor emphasizes the formative power of thoughts on character.

So you have the imperative to think right thoughts, and then the imperative to practice right deeds. Think on these things, do these things. And with that final two, two-fold imperative, the formal instruction of the conduct, the formal instruction with respect to Christian behavior, in a very real sense, comes to an end in this epistle. Now it should be evident to us on the very threshold of our study, that when we see a passage in which we are directed to the thought life of the believer, and to the conduct of the believer, and in that order, we are locked in to one of the most fundamental p...

6:24 - 7:46 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the first six specific virtues believers are to think upon: true (truthful living), honorable (grave, sober conduct), just (aligning with God's standards), pure…

Martin quotes Dr. Dobridge's anecdote about his young daughter, who, when asked why everyone loved her, replied, 'unless it be because I love everybody.' This illustrates the meaning of 'lovely' as that which elicits or promotes love.

In other words, that which promotes love. That which elicits love when people see it, it is a love, it is a lovable thing. And one of the most helpful little illustrations of the meaning of the word I found in one of the commentators who trying to do what I'm attempting to do, describe the meaning of the word found that perhaps a picture was better than, if not a thousand words, two or three hundred words. By lovely is meant calculated to gain love.

19:06 - 19:40 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the first six specific virtues believers are to think upon: true (truthful living), honorable (grave, sober conduct), just (aligning with God's standards), pure…

Martin quotes Manton on rightly despising and desiring the applause of men: despising it when it requires sin, desiring it when it can be gained without ill. This clarifies the meaning of 'of good report' as conduct free from sinful compromise.

Manton, commentator of another generation, says,

21:22 - 21:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not unnecessarily expose your minds to evil through deliberately chosen reading material (magazines, books) or careless TV watching.

Martin recounts his wife challenging his statement that one injudiciously chosen movie could cause years of spiritual loss. He defends his claim by referencing confessions from people in his study who traced their bondage to impurity back to such movies, emphasizing the danger of unnecessary mental exposure to evil.

Remaining sin has a positive magnetism for evil. And you get anything near enough, it's like that which has a negative polarity and it fastens on to your heart,

35:51 - 36:02 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The full beauty of the Christian character and its full effectiveness as a sweet, persuasive influence on the world are not obtained by the act of the Christian character. It is not by the exhibition of one or two virtue…

Martin illustrates John Stone's point about comprehensive virtue by describing a man who excels in purity and honesty but neglects 'loveliness' (manners, hygiene). This man's lack of 'loveliness' undermines his Christian testimony, showing that partial virtue is not enough.

It is not by the exhibition of one or two virtues with great completeness and constancy, but by the manifest presence and harmonious development of all virtues, exhibiting your character therefore all the elements of a full, ripe Christianity. Now let me illustrate what he means and try to bring it home to your conscience. Mr. John Stone is saying that according to this text, a believer is not to have the attitude, well, this idea of really thinking upon what is pure appeals to me because my life before I was converted was marked by immersion in impurity and to be delivered from the defilement...

43:51 - 44:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Young men, cultivate kindness and graciousness; learn to be a gentleman, as these are 'lovely' things that promote love and elicit praise.

Martin directly addresses young men, suggesting that their lack of interest from godly young women might stem from their failure to cultivate 'loveliness' through kind and gracious gentlemanly behavior, such as helping with coats. This highlights that even seemingly small acts of courtesy are part of Christian virtue.

He says that true effectiveness in witness consists not in one or two or three graces highly developed but in the concurrent wholeness of the development of all of these graces. And I want to be very blunt and frank with some of you dear men this morning. Some of you young men do you know why some of the godly Christian young women in this church are not too interested in you? Because you think it's beneath advancement advancement in grace to learn to be a kind and a gracious gentleman.

47:01 - 47:34 Read in full sermon

The point: Analyze your life and ask what about you is 'lovely,' promoting love and eliciting praise in the right sense.

Martin uses the example of a young woman who lacks 'aesthetic sensitivity' in her color coordination, wearing 'weirdest colors together.' He argues that cultivating sensitivity to how one's appearance affects others falls under 'any virtue' because God gave us the capacity to appreciate harmony.

A young woman who has any aesthetic sensitivity and sees that you have not worked at cultivating a sense of color coordination that you put the weirdest colors together that anyone looks at the colors they praise that God will make them color blind.

48:19 - 48:37 Read in full sermon