When I was growing up there was a saying, I don’t hear much anymore. You are what you eat. What a ridiculous saying. That’s why we don’t hear it much anymore - it’s like our entire generation woke up and said, Nah, that’s not true. “If i eat this chocolate bunny …” yeah, no. It doesn’t make sense - I think it said to try to make us eat more healthy food, but who wants to how up and me a head of lettuce?

Maybe we’ve lost something when we threw out that idiom however. Maybe there was wisdom in the saying, it's just that I heard it wrong all those years. Maybe the idiom was never supposed to be taken literally at all (yeah, of course, you don’t really turn into a chocolate bunny.” What I mean is, maybe the idiom wasn’t about food at all. It wasn’t about what we consume with our mouths, but with our minds. If it’s not about food, but about our thoughts, then the saying has a bit more staying power. You are what you think about. You are what you let into your thoughts. You are the media and philosophies you consume.

This seems to be the Apostle Paul’s concern in this verse that I want to centre our thoughts on this morning, that our thoughts shape us, we are what we eat:

Phil. 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Last week, we finished a series in the book of Ecclesiastes, and at the end of that book, we saw a description of God’s communication to us through the Biblical writers as thoughtful, careful, delightful and true. That’s a great framework for all of our communication. And it is my prayer this morning as we reflect on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For there is nothing more excellent or worthy of praise than the resurrection, and for that reason, it is good and proper for us to “think about these things”. But my prayer here this morning is not only to communicate information, but that the Holy Spirit might grant us illumination, that will turn our hearts to celebration.

whatever is true: the resurrection is true

We are not interested on Easter in filling our minds with fables and fairy tales. Magical bunnies who hide eggs are fun for the children, but beware lest we come to categorize the victory of Christ along with the fiction of myth. The declaration of Easter is not “once upon a time” but that Jesus really walked upon this earth. As the apostle Peter insisted, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” Jesus really was sentenced to an excruciating death upon the cross. Jesus really was placed into a newly hewn grave outside of Jerusalem, and the stone that was placed over the tomb is still sitting where it rolled away that morning. And yes, Jesus truly raised from the dead - that is he physically walked out of the tomb, not as a ghost or as some sort of spiritual hope inspiring the hearts of his followers, but physically, bodily, give-me-a-bite-of-that-fish-and-I’ll-prove-that-I’m-alive, rose from the dead.

The message of the early church was not primarily based on making a spiritual argument, the message of the early church was not primarily based on making a scriptural argument (although they demonstrated from the scriptures that the Christ must rise), the message of the early church was not primarily based on making a logical argument, the message of the early church was primarily based on making a direct proclamation: He said he was the way to God and that he would prove it by rising from the dead. They killed him, buried him, finished him, and we ran away thinking it was over. Yet he came to us, met with us, ate with us, showing us his scars and teaching his ways. And before we saw him ascend to heaven, he commissioned us to take his message to the world. Therefore, your threats mean nothing to us - for we cannot deny what we’ve seen and heard. This was Peter’s - a friend and follower of Jesus - argument before the authorities in Acts 4:19-20: Acts 4:19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

The apostle’s were not pre-scientific dupes. They knew that people do not simply rise the dead. Here's what John, one of the eye-witnesses wrote about a response to the resurrection:

John 20:24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” John 20:26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

This could be my whole message this morning. Last year (you can find online) it was. But believing in Christ is not only intellectual. It is an embracing of Christ with the heart, soul, conviction. To see not only the truth of Christ, but he beauty and goodness of the Lord.

whatever is honourable: the resurrection is honourable

The resurrection is not only true, but it is also honourable. The word suggests that which is “serious, sublime, dignified, majestic, or august … the lofty and majestic things.” The honour of the resurrection is highlighted in contrast to the dishonour, the indignity of the cross. The cross was an especially undignified manner of execution, reserved for the worst of criminals, the body of the traitor exposed naked to the elements and to the onlookers as every bit of strength and dignity drained from the victim. Onlookers mocked and scorned him, and his friends disowned him and disappeared. Crucifixion was regarded with special indignity by the Jews as they held a saying that especially cursed was one who died hanging on a tree.

Yet it was precisely the dishonour of the cross that makes the resurrection all the more honourable. Earlier in the book of Philippians the indignity of the cross is held up as the supreme example of Jesus’ glorious self-emptying love, and the reasons as to why is to be accorded such honour:

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Do you see that therefore? He humbled himself to the humility of the cross and therefore God has highly exalted him. Now you might stop and say, hold on, many people have died undignified deaths, why are they not raised in such honour? Good point. The dishonour of Jesus’ death on the cross was not merely a function of how he died, but who died. Jesus Christ, as this passage says, who existed as God in the form of God who determined to empty himself of his divine position to walk among us as a servant. The indignity of the cross is magnified by the infinite dignity of its divine victim, and in subjecting himself to such an inglorious death, the glorious love of God was set in full display. What is “sown in dishonour is raised in glory.”

whatever is just: the resurrection is just

The resurrection is just - the word speaks of justice “in the broadest possible sense, not simply in relations to humans but in accordance with the divine standard, and thus fulfilling all obligations to God, others and themselves.” The resurrection is just because having fulfilled all obligation to God regarding sin, death no longer held sway over Him.

Rom. 6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God

To speak very clearly, the greatest tension in the teaching of the Bible is this: how can we as human beings stand in the presence of God. We all recognize that human beings are flawed, selfish, imperfect creatures. We know in the depths of our heart with only a moments reflection that we daily violate the standards and image that we set for ourselves, much less comparing ourselves to the standards of scripture. Now the way that many of us would deal with the problem is to remake God in our image: that God is not so great and holy and just and loving as the Bible make him out to be, but he’s kind of like a far-off pen-pal that sends us encouraging notes from time to time, and we don’t really make a big deal of si...