Lovely

turn your Bibles to Philippians 4: 7-9 Philippians 4: 7-9 we're going to continue our series Kindle to deposit these things and as you look at Philippians chapter 4 and beginning with verse number seven it says in the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus finally Brethren what sort of things are true what sort of things are honest what sort of things are just what sort of things are pure what sort of things are are lovely what sort of things are good report if they're be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do and the God of Peace

shall be with you and we want to uh remind you again the end of verse number verse number nine there or verse number eight it says to think on these things that phrase to think on these things in the Greek language the word think can also be translated to deposit these things and just like when you go down to the bank and you deposit money in the bank that's the idea of that word to deposit these things and when when you get saved it's like opening up account at the bank at any Bank if you go down to any bank here in Hawai and you you can open a checking account for free there's no charge for it and you can deposit your soul with Jesus Christ for salvation and you can open your account in

the Bank of Heaven for free but then if you want to draw money out of your account you've got to put money into the account if you haven't learned that yet it might be a good idea to figure that out and so the more you put in the more you can draw out and the same thing is true in our Christian Life Is that the more we deposit these things in our spiritual lives then the more we're going be able to draw upon the peace and the power of God and so we're going through and looking at each of these terms of what it means to deposit things that are true that are not counterfeit things that are honest to have an honest testimony and goes on down we're now in the list there where it says whatsoever

things are lovely whatsoever things are lovely so what does it mean to deposit things that are lovely the word lovely here means to respond in love towards something or to turn towards it to respond in love or to turn towards something in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse number 10 the Bible says For the Love of Money is the root of all evil which while some have coveted after they have aired from the faith and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows he says when you love money you turn towards that and you covet after that and because of that you end up in sorrows and so we want to what things that are lovely that we want to turn to things that are going to be beneficial to us in our

spiritual deposits uh I can illustrate this with my relationship with my my wife when we were in Bible College the first time that I met her uh I had earlier on I had had an opportunity to study under a circus clown I'd learn how to do clowning juggling and magic and different things and and I took what I learned out that circus clown and I would use it in children's ministries it was a great opportunity to work with kids and and um one of my college lead leers found out that I did clowning and he asked me well if I would uh dress up as a clown and come out for a pep rally they're having and kind of get everybody charged up and I said sure I'd be glad to do that and so I put on all the clown

makeup and everything and I I was known as sadap the clown once I was sad but now I'm happy and and uh so I went to the rally and did that and after the rally it was lunchtime and so I decided you know I didn't want to miss lunch so I just went straight from the rally to lunch still dressed up like a clown and uh that's where I first met my wife when she met me I look like a clown she says I still do but uh uh when we got when I got there and I went to sit down uh I sat down at a table that had all girls at the table I figured you know I spend the time in the dorm with the guys I want to spend time around the girls and the and when I had a chance to and so I went down sat a table full of

girls there was two seats there and I sat down at one of the seats and so there was uh six other girls there's a table of eight there were six other girls at that table and then there were walked up this seventh girl and when she walked up to that table my eyes turned towards her and when I turned towards her my mind thought she's lovely now there were seven other six other girls at that table that didn't turn my eyes in the same way they were nice girls they were pretty girls they were Godly girls but there was just something about Diane when she walked up to that table and I saw her I said she is lovely you see I responded towards her I turned towards her and she that my focus came on her

now she walked up to table and she said I don't know if I want to sit by a clown that was a whole different story there but uh that's how I first got to see her that's what this word lovely means is she turned my eyes my thoughts my heart turned towards her when I saw her now another example of this could be um when my wife goes shopping now uh men we don't go shopping we go hunting right you know there's a something we need we go in we find it we kill it we take it home you know that's the way we go shopping my wife goes shopping the other day we were going out we got her a new phone so she wanted to get a case for the phone and so we stopped by TJ Max and Ross's uh to look and see what

they had for cases big mistake never stop by uh Ross's or TJ Maxx for just a quick run in and out because that does not happen with my wife because on the way to look at the cases we walk by the dresses and when we walk by those dresses now when I walk by the dresses and I look over I see a dress and said oh it's nice to walk on but when my wife walks by those racks she turns over says wow that's a pretty dress and she's there for a half hour you know I know she's gone I just get my phone out find something to read and go find one of those chairs at Rosses to sit on and that I'm done right there you know uh but she turns towards that rack that dress causes her to turn in that direction it

causes to respond to it another example is if you were walking down the street and you look down and you saw a penny on the street you would probably not turn towards that Penny and bend over and pick it up some of you might but most of us would with the value of a penny today we just kind of say it's not worth the effort and we would even stop and and and bend over to pick it up but if you walked by by a $20 bill what would you do you would stop and turn towards it and say that's a 20 and you would bend over and pick it up you would see you would respond to it and that's what it means when it says that what sort of things are lovely it's the things that cause us to respond now let me ask

you how do you respond towards God in Jeremiah 31 verse number three the Bible says the Lord hath appeared of old unto me saying yay I have loved thee with an Everlasting Love Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee does the love of God draw you to him does the love of God cause you to turn towards him you see we need to respond to God and it starts by responding to his Creation in Psalms 19: 1-3 it says the heavens declare the glory of God and the firment showeth his handiwork day onto day utters speech and night onto night showeth knowledge there is no speech nor language where their voices not heard you know we live here in Hawaii we live in a special place and here in Hawaii all

the time you see these beautiful sunrises and beautiful sunsets like this and and I don't know about you but when I'm driving down the road and I see that it causes me to turn towards that it causes me resp respond to the beauty of that and I look around to the creation of different things and I see what's going on there and each one keep on moving it there guys and each one you see these things it causes the waterfalls up at H3 or H H3 there uh H2 is is beautiful you just dve by and see all those beautiful uh waterfalls and it just causes you to respond towards the Creator who made those things and God's creation ought to cause us to respond towards him there is no speech there's no

language there voice is not heard creation is calling out to us about the power and the glory and the awesomeness of God and we need to know him go over to Romans chapter 1 Romans chapter 1 and look at verses 19- 21 Romans chapter 1 and beginning with verse number 19 Romans 1:19 because that which may be known of God is Manifest in them for God has showed it unto them for the visible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being under stood by the things that are made even his eternal power and godhead so they without excuse because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful became vain in their imagination and their foolish heart was

darkened I don't know how anybody can drive uh across H3 and see those waterfalls and not believe in God I don't know anybody drive along the NorthShore and see those beautiful sunsets and not believe in God I don't know how anybody can go out to the NorthShore and see those huge waves crashing on the ocean and not believe in the awesome power of God you see creation ought to cause us to respond when you see creation every day you wake up in the beauty of paradise you ought to look out your window and you ought to look out at God's creation and just respond and say what a great God that we have and you ought to glorify him verse 21 again when they knew God they glorified him not as God and

so often we apply that to the unsaved people but how often as we as Christians have said wow God is good when we look at the sunset when we look at the Sunrise we look at the mountains we look at the ocean when we look at the beauty around us we ought to see the the power and the greatness of God and respond to that go over to Hebrews chapter 2 Hebrews chapter 2 and verses 1-3 Hebrews chapter 2 in verses 1 through3 it says therefore we ought to give the more Earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip for the word spoken by Angels was steadfast and every transgression and Disobedience received to just recompense of reward how should we escape if we

neglect so great a Salvation which the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed on us by them that heard him H how do he respond to the gospel how do you respond to Salvation how do you respond when you hear it you know most of us in this room we're saved we've already trusted in Jesus Christ we've already received the gospel you know and every Sunday morning every Sunday night every time I preach I try to bring the gospel in and when I start preaching the gospels you're at to well yeah I've heard that before you have already done that it ought to be that every time we hear the gospel we ought to just say God thank you for loving me it ought to be every time we hear the gospel

it ought to bring Wonder to our heart again it ought to be something that we respond to the the good news the gospel that God loves me John 3:16 for God so loved you that he gave his only begotten son that if you would believe him you should not perish but have everlasting life that verse ought not just to be a verse you've heard heard over and over and over again but it ought to be a verse that causes you to respond every time thinking God loves me in Romans chapter 5 and verse number eight it says but God commendeth or showed his love towards us and that while we're yet sinners Christ died for us it ought to amaze you that God would love you so much that he would send his son to Die For

You years ago I was at col Baptist Church as assistant pastor and we had a young Marine that came to church was invited by a friend of his to come with him and he came to church and this young Marine said it turned out later I found out later this the first time he'd ever been in church in his life he was raised on the south sh side of Chicago his dad had uh disappeared before he was born his mom had died as a drug addict he pretty well was raised on the streets by The Gangs uh he had a very rough life he went in the Marine Corps because it was Marine Corps or jail that was his choices and his friend invited him to church the only reason he came is because we had this big meal afterwards he

he wanted the big meal but during the service he heard the gospel he heard about Jesus Christ and it was something about that story that just struck his heart and after that at the end of the service when the invitation time came he came and asked to talk to somebody and I took him out into a back room and sat down with this young man and I opened my Bible up and I showed him John 3:16 and I explained to him and said you're part of the world aren't you and he said yes I am I said that verse is talking to you personally it's not just talking about the world but God so loved emuel that he gave his only begotten son God loves you as I sat there with that young man talking to him tell him how

God loved him tears begin to roll down his cheek this tough young Marine this kid that was raised in The Gangs of Chicago tears began to fall down his cheeks and he looked at me he says Pastor he said I've never heard the word love and Manuel put together in my life I have never had anybody tell me they love love me and now you're telling me that God loves me and he just shook his head said I cannot believe that God loved me and that day Emanuel opened his heart and his life to Jesus Christ as his Savior and called upon Him years later we were traveling the mainland and we were going to Chicago and I got a hold of Manuel and said we're coming to Chicago can we get together we met at a

restaurant for lunch and he walked up first thing he did walked up to me gave me a hug and he said pastor Pastor God loves me he was married had a family had a whole different life because of the love of God what about you every time you hear John 3:16 do you respond do you realize how much God loves you that he sent his son to Die For You in John chapter 12 and verse number 32 says and I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men on to me in verse number 36 while you have light believe in the light that you may be the children of light the light these things spake Jesus and departed and hide himself from them but though he had done so many miracles before them yet they believed not

in him there are those who know the gospel and they've heard what Jesus did and yet they do not respond God loves you and if you're here today and you've never responded to Jesus Christ you need to realize that he wants to draw you to himself he's not here to hide from you but he's here to call you onto him and onto salvation and you need to respond to the love of Jesus Christ if you're not saved you need to believe on him in Romans chap 10: 9- 10 it says that if thou sh confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and Shall Believe in thine heart that God has raised the dead Thou shalt be saved for with a heart man believeth on the righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation

in Romans 10 13 it says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved when you hear the gospel how does it cause you to respond if you're here and you're not saved you need to respond by believing in Jesus Christ by accepting the love of God like Manuel did that day and putting your faith and trust in him and if you're here as a Christian today you need to respond by just saying thank you God every time you hear the gospel I reminds you again of how much God loves you it ought to cause you respond to that in John chapter 1 and verse number 12 the Bible says but as many as received him to them gave you the power to become the sons of God turn over to 1 John chapter 3 and

look at verses 1 through3 1 John chapter 3 and verses 1 through3 it say behold what manner of love the father bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for he we shall see him as he is and every man that hath this hope in himself purify himself even as he is pure you see it ought to it ought to just bring awe and wonder to a heart that I am God's child that I am born again into his family that one day I will live with him forever in heaven and it ought not just be be well yeah I've

heard that before but it ought to be what an awesome privilege it is to be called a child of God it ought to be something that is lovely and that causes to respond in love to turn towards God but not only that to Roman go to Romans chapter 8 it's not just our Salvation Romans chapter 8 and beginning with verse number 31 Roman rans chapter 8 beginning with verse number 31 is REM remember that God's love will never fail us in Romans 8:31 what shall we then say to these things if God be for us who can be against us he that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect is God

that justifies us who is he that condemneth is Christ that died y rather is risen again who even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or Peril or sword for is written for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter n in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us for I persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things to come nor things PR present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be a separated from the love of God in

Christ Jesus our lord just remember every time we hear about the love of God it's not just about salvation but God's love is there no matter what's going on in your life when a loved one dies God's love doesn't stop when you hear the diagnosis of cancer God's love doesn't stop when there's a problem at work God's love doesn't stop and God's love is eternal and we ought to respond to that love and never take for granted in Luke chap 24 verse number 32 it says they said one to another did not our heart burn within us while he talked us by the way and while he opened to us the scriptures after his resurrection Jesus met couple of disciples on the road to Damascus and and he walked with them and

talked with them and opened the Bible with them and and they responded you know there during this series of messages I I've been using money as an illustration deposit these things and so I I've been giving away a lot of money I've calculated now I've given away over $390 and I'm not giving away any today so don't get excited but I wonder do you get more excited when you see me open my wallet or do you get more excited when you see me open the Bible when you wake up in the morning and see your Bible there on your counter on your nightstand or wherever it is do you think I get to read the word of God I get to open a love letter from God how do you respond to the word of God how do you respond

to God's love in 1 John chapter 4 verse 19 says we love him because he first loved us love ought to cause us to respond because love commands Us in John Chapter 13: 30 uh I'm sorry 1 John 4: 7 and 8 it says beloved let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love if we're truly responding to the love of God then that love of God is going to cause us to love others also in John 13: 34-35 it says a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you that you also love one another by this shall all men know that you are my disciples see God's love ought to work in my

heart where it causes me to want to love others around me as well in 1 Thessalonians chap 4: 9 and 10 it says but as touching brother love you need not that I write unto you for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another indeed you do it towards all the Brethren which are in all Macedonia but we beseech you Brethren you increase more and more see love is not something we take for granted love is some not something we just uh uh you know forget about but the love of God ought to cause us to respond and thank him for his love the the love of God that he he would choose to love me a sinner and that love ought to cause me then to love others around me as well that's God's commandment

to you and I go over to Luke chapter 6 Luke chapter 6 and look at verses 27 and 28 Luke 6 and: 27 and 28 but I say unto you which hear love your enemies do good to them which hate you bless them that curse you and pray for them which spitefully use you see God wants us to use that love to love others even those that are our enemies even those that that would misuse and abuse us look down at verse number 32 it says for if you love them which love you what thank have you for Sinners also love those that love them and if you do good to them which do good to you what thank have you for Sinners also do even the same and if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive what thank have you for

Sinners also lend to Sinners receive as much again but love your your enemies and do good and L hoping for nothing again in your reward word should be great and he should be the children of the highest and he is kind un the unth thanful to the evil see God says listen I want you to love even your enemies and and any onsa person they can love those who love them any onsa person can be kind to someone who's kind to them could give to someone who's giving to them but it takes a Godly Spirit-filled Christian it takes someone with the love of God that they can give that love even to their enemies in verse number 38 of that same passage Luke chap 6 verse 38 says give and it shall be given unto you

good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall give men give into your bosom for the same measure that you met with all it shall be measured to you again you see if I want to be able to love even my enemies I've got to fill up my account with the love of God and the more I fill up my account with the love of God the more love I have to give over and over again the only way you can love your enemies the only way you can love other is to have more of the love of God to give to those around you in 2 Corinthians CH 5 and: 14- 15 it says For the Love of Christ constrains us because we thus judge that if one died for all then we're all dead and that he and that he died for

all and that they which live should not henceforth live unto the S but unto him which died for them and rose again you see we need to realize that the love of God should constrain us we should respond when we see the love of God it ought to say to us I need to tell someone else about God's love I need to tell someone else about what Jesus did for them I I need to share that gospel in Luke chapter 15 turn over there if you would Luke chapter 15 and look at verses 8 through1 says Luke 15:8 either what woman having 10 pieces of silver she lose one piece that not light a candle and sweep the house and seek diligently till she find it and when she had found it she called her friends and and

neighbors together saying Rejoice me for I have found the peace which I had lost likewise I say unto you there's joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth and what is the value of one lost soul when you see the love of God not only should you rejoice in that love not only should it cause you to step back in awe and wonder and say God loves me a sinner God loved me enough to send his son to die for me not only should it causes respond in love back to him and to love to others but it also ought to say I need to tell someone about Jesus I need to tell someone about that love of God I'm so thankful for that young Marine who invited Manuel to come out to church and

invited him to come and hear the gospel and that changed his life forever and the love of God ought to constrain us we ought to respond by saying I've got to tell someone else about Jesus who have you told about Jesus this week who have you told about the love of God in 1 John 3: 16-18 says here hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us that we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren but who soath this world's good good and seeth his brother have need and shut up the bowels of compassion from him I'll dwelleth the love of God in him see the love of God compels me God your love compels me to be a blessing to others to love others to meet their needs whatever

ever they might be in Psalms 119:97 it says oh how I love thy law it is my meditation all the Day Psalms 119 verse 165 great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them you see if you love the word of God then that's going to bring peace in your life and and it's going to bring resolution with others you're not going to hold on to bitterness you're not going to hold on to anger and hurt you're going to love one another and the love of God compels us but also how should we respond to sin go to 1 John Chapter 2 1 John Chapter 2 what s of things are lovely things that cause us to respond to turn towards in 1 John Chapter 2 and veres 15-6 it says 1 John Chapter 2 verses 15-

16 love not the world neither the things of the world if any man love the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the Flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world and the world passes away and the lust thereof but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever how do you respond towards the things of this world what what do your eyes follow you see if if things are lovely causes me to turn towards something it's causing my eyes to follow that in Job chapter 31 and verse number one job said I made a covenant with mine eyes why then should I think upon a made then in verse 7 he says if my step had

turned out of the way and mine eye walked after my my heart walked after mine eyes and if any blot had cleaned to my hands job said listen I made a covenant because what I look at is what I'm going to follow what I look at is what I'm going to do and he says I made a covenant that I'm not going to turn turn towards these things and I wonder if that's what's happening in your life years ago there was a single guy in our church his name was Gary he was in the Navy Gary loved muscle cars He Loved driving hot rod cars and and uh one day I had to get somewhere and I didn't have any way to get there except for Gary now when you ride with Gary you better make sure your prayer life is good okay

because he has a one of those muscle cards and everything so I I said Gary can you take me downtown to this place and Gary said sure Pastor hop in and I hopped in and made sure I buckled my seat belt tight and grabbed hold ready to go and we were driving down the road and as we were driving down the road we're coming along there a little bit and Gary you know he's in the driver's seat there and all of a sudden Gary goes wow look at her he looks over I looked over and there's this girl on the sidewalk over there walking down the sidewalk and I'm thinking Gary I'm sitting right here I'm your pastor what are you doing and I even rebuked I said Gary what are you doing looking at that girl and he

says what girl Pastor I was looked at 1965 Camaro over there you see that's what turned his eyes you see a 1965 Camaro Gary's eyes are go wo what turns your eyes when you're driving down the street what turns your eyes when you're walking down the mall what turns your eyes when you're flipping through the channels what is lovely towards you that's causing you to turn away from God and turn to look at things you should not look at in Psalms 101 verse number three it says I will set no Wicked thing before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it shall not cleave to me see sometimes we get caught up in this thing where we allow our eyes to turn towards things that we should not be

turning towards we need to have eyes for the Lord in Psalm 16: 8-9 it says I have set the lord always before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices My Flesh also shall rest in hope you see the best way to make sure you're looking at the right things and not looking at the wrong things is to look at the right things if I'm looking at my wife I'm not looking at other women in my marriage class I talk about the fact that I try to turn my eyes away so like if something comes on TV where some woman's on there are not dressed appropriately I I I try I I turn away from that if I if I'm somewhere out in public and someone walks by and

it's not dressed appropriately I turn away from that I do that for a couple reasons one I I do it because I I I don't need to be looking at that I I don't need to be looking at a maid in the wrong way and and and and and so I I try to turn away from that so I'm not tempted so I don't having the wrong thoughts now sometimes that's hard I used to used to be what I do is change the channel but the next Channel I changed to was just as bad as the one I looked at before you know or sometimes I remember one time we were walking down at n Bay and we're walking down that long walkway down to Nama Bay and and uh there was uh some women coming up there that were uh wearing next to nothing and my wife

said uh look over there and I looked over and says you want me look over here either and uh no matter where I looked it was all over the place so I just looked up in the air and she guided me down to the H but I do it because I don't need to be looking at those things whether it's on the TV or on the Internet or whether it's in public or wherever else it might be I need to make a covenant with my eyes that I would not look upon a mid I'm not trying to be approved and I'm not trying to say that you know every woman's trying to tempt you and stuff like that just is saying that you need to use wisdom but now what I try to do is I try to do this is when I look away from that I look towards my

wife I want her to see me turning from that because I want her to know I don't need to look at that because I've got you and when I turn a look towards her that's the one I want you see it's not just turning away from the sin and the things of this world but it's turning on to God and if you've got your eyes on the Lord then you're not going to have your eyes on things you don't need to and every one of you here's got something that turns your eyes in the wrong direction and you need to ask God to give you a victory over that and you need to turn your head away from that but turn your eyes not just away from the sin in the world but turn your eyes towards God