This is the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast, brought
to you by Living on the Edge. In this podcast,
you'll hear Chip's teaching unedited and from
beginning to end. Well, now here's Chip with
today's message titled, Love Cares. I want to
share something with you because there's something
that God and Teresa have in common. Are you ready
for this? They're both always shopping. When
Teresa and I are hanging around downtown Los
Gatos, if we go away for a little weekend, if
we sometimes, I travel to Atlanta and there's
a number of shops there. She's always looking.
She's always shopping. Now, don't get me wrong.
She's not like a, I have to have new shoes, new
dress. She's shopping for grandkids. I mean,
there's a birthday like every third day and then
anniversary. So wherever we go, she'll walk in.
Oh, and then she'll tell me. For this season,
this would be perfect for, and then she'll name
one of the grandkids and tell me why. Here's
what I want you to know. She cares about each
child in its season, and she wants to get the
very thing that would help them be and experience
the very best. And what I want you to know is
that God is shopping. In other words, he is looking.
He's looking and what he's looking for is people
that are ready and prepared to fulfill his will.
In fact, notice on the front of your notes, I
put two key Old Testament passages. It's the
Lord speaking from Ezekiel 22. He says, and I
searched for a man among them who should build
up the wall and stand in the gap before me. Why?
That I should not destroy it. And this is sad.
He went shopping and he couldn't find anyone.
But I found no one. And then notice the response.
Thus I've poured out my indignation on them.
I've consumed them with the fire of my wrath.
Their way have I brought upon their heads, declares
the Lord. We see the evil in the world. We see
the tragedy. We see disasters. And God is saying
in the midst of all of this, this is not my desire.
I'm searching for a man, for a student, for a
woman that you could stand in the gap that I
will fill you and use you. And I will bring light
and goodness and restoration and healing. The
second passage is one that's profoundly impacted
me. 2 Chronicles 16 verse 9. The prophet is speaking
for the Lord. And he's speaking to Asa, a king
who, I mean, for years, for 30 years, I mean,
he was walking with God, making a tremendous
impact. And then he felt like, well, my time's
over. And I'm just going to coast. And so, God
brought a situation into his life and instead
of trusting God, he trusted in himself. And the
prophet comes and says, for the eyes of the Lord
move to and fro throughout the whole earth that
he might strongly support those whose hearts
are completely his. And then he says, but you
have acted foolishly in this from now on, surely
you'll have wars. Here's what I want you to know.
When we're talking about I choose love, there's
a lot on the line. I'm being a little facetious
with this shopping analogy, but our God is looking.
His eyes are going to and fro throughout the
earth, up and down these aisles in churches across
the world. And he's looking for a man or a woman
who is ready and prepared. So he can use them.
And as he uses them, it is in that process that
he changes us and he meets the needs of the world
and the hands and the feet and the love of Christ
is poured out through us ordinary, regular people.
And here's the question I want to talk about
today. Why does God use some people and not others?
Or why does God use some people in a great way
and other people not so much? No warning. I want
to tell you that it's not about intelligence
or giftedness or education. In fact, open your
notes. And what I want to show you is that the
answer to that question is right out of Philippians
chapter two, verses 19 to 30. We're going to
learn why God uses some people and he doesn't
use others. The context here is the apostle Paul's
in prison. He's waiting execution. He doesn't
know whether he's going to live or whether he's
going to die. but he's concerned about this church.
They've sent a gift through Epaphroditus, who's
a church leader at Philippi. And he's come and
brought a financial gift and he's been an attendant
and he's helped the Apostle Paul and he's been
there. And Apostle Paul has now heard that they're
struggling and there's some disunity and Epaphroditus,
their messenger, got really, really sick and
almost died. And so he realizes out of his concern,
he's going to send Timothy. to help him, to encourage
him. And then later we're going to learn he's
going to send Epaphroditus. But as you look at
this text, what you're going to see is the reason
why God uses Paul, the reason why God uses Timothy,
and the reason why God uses Epaphroditus. Follow
along. Notice in your notes, the purpose for
sending Timothy. He says, verse 19, but I hope
in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly
so that I may be encouraged. The word literally
is so that I could have joy and be cheered within
when I learn of your condition. For I have no
one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely
be concerned for your welfare. for they all seek
after their own interest, not those of Christ
Jesus. But you know of his proven worth that
he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel
like a child serving his father. Therefore, I
hope to send him immediately as soon as I see
how things go with me. And I trust in the Lord
that I myself also shall be coming soon. The
purpose for sending Timothy, Why? Paul cared.
I mean, it's that simple. You know, we've learned
that love gives and love serves and love obeys.
I'm just telling you, love just cares. He cared
about that church so much that someone that was
helping him, I'm going to send Timothy to you.
The next question is, well, why Timothy? I mean,
what did he bring to the table? The reason Timothy
was chosen? Was Timothy cared? Look at this passage.
He says, I have no one else of kindred spirit,
literally, who has an equal soul. They all are
concerned, not about other people, but about
themselves. They were self -focused. I mean,
this goes back to the very beginning of consider
others as more important than yourself. Do nothing
from selfishness or arrogance or vainglory. Timothy,
he says, he's genuinely concerned. Literally
it is one and all without exception are bent
on their own way, but not Timothy. Notice they
seek after their own interests, not those of
Christ Jesus, but he is of proven worth. In other
words, he's been faithful. He's been with me
at this point in his life. He's been with Paul
for about 10 years. He's a young pastor. He probably
was picked up in his very, very late teens or
early 20s. He's probably in his 33 to 35 now.
What we know is he's timid by way of personality.
He's got a couple strikes against him. He's half
Jewish and half Greek. Paul has admonished him.
You know, he's kind of a sickly, vulnerable guy.
In other words, by physical standards, by...
sharp, powerful, got it together, you know, a
graduate of a great university. That's not Timothy.
But he's faithful. He's loyal. His heart, he
cares. He is willing. As you read through the
New Testament, Paul talks about him 10 different
times. When there's a need, Paul says, I send
him, I send him, I send him. You know what? He's
willing, he's available, he's loyal, and he's
a servant. And God greatly used him. He ended
up being the pastor even at Ephesus, which is
one of the great churches in all of the New Testament.
Well, we now know that Paul cares. We now know
that Timothy cares. And the story's going to
go on because he wants them to know that, hey,
I'm going to send Timothy shortly, but... You
have heard that the leader in your church that
came to serve me, that brought the financial
gift, he came close to death. And so I'm going
to send him immediately so I can learn of your
condition and I can put you at ease. Do you know
that communicating with people is one of the
most important things we ever do to show that
we care? A phone call, a handwritten note, a
text, I'm praying for you today. I mean, it doesn't
take that much to care for people. Love cares.
Love engages. Love demonstrates by action that
other people really, really matter. Notice we
pick it up in verse 25. You ask yourself, well,
why does he send Epaphroditus? Are you ready
for this? You can get it, can't you? Verse 25,
but I thought it necessary to send you Epaphroditus.
Notice the description, my brother, my fellow
worker, my fellow soldier, who is your messenger
and minister to my need. Talk about a resume.
Because he was longing for you all and was distressed
because you heard that he was sick. For indeed,
he was sick to the point of death, but God had
mercy on him and not on him only, but also on
me. lest I have sorrow upon sorrow. Why is a
man so deeply moved by the hurt and the heartache
and the sickness of someone else? It's because
Paul cares. I mean, sometimes it gets painted
in this picture of this flaming apostle and this,
you know, he brings the truth and messenger and
writes 13 books and he did do that, but he was
tender and he cared and tasks were important,
but people mattered most. How about you? Do you
care? Where you live, your roommate, your family,
do they sense, do they feel you care? Does your
words communicate? I really care. Do your actions
communicate at work that it's your task and your
stuff and what you got to get done or that you
care? I mean, one of the things I love about
our church is When there are needs, you care.
There's been an outpouring of finances and individuals
really making a difference. Notice he says, therefore
receive him in the Lord with all joy and hold
men like him in high regard because they came
close to death for the work of Christ, risking
his life to complete that which was deficient
in your service to me. Do you see these characteristics
coming out? Commitment. He's my brother. We're
in it together. We're family. He's a fellow worker.
We're arm in arm. I mean, we're setting goals.
There's tasks. There's work to be done. This
isn't about us. We're fellow soldiers. We're
doing battle. We do spiritual warfare. We're
working out hard things together. We're in the
trenches together. And then he says, he's your
messenger. And it's a very interesting word.
This is a Greek word used in the ancient language
of someone during that time who would be called
a benefactor and someone who is sort of the benefactor
of a city who might bring a drama to the city
or a public works and pay for the majority of
it. And what he's saying is Epaphroditus was
a messenger, an apostle, a benefactor, a brother.
He was the kind of person who cares. Hold people
like that in high esteem. There's a couple of
fellows that are going to rotate off the board.
And I just, as we were going through that meeting,
I just thought of the endless hours that they've
put in and the ministries that they're involved
in and the preparation and what they've meant
in my life and things behind the scenes that
no one knows. where you talk about fellow brothers,
fellow workers, messengers, people that care.
Now, here's where I want to go. That's the passage.
You got it? Philippians 2, 19 to 30. What we
know is that the command was, don't think of
yourself. Put others' interests ahead of your
own. The great example was verses, right, 5 through
11. Jesus had this attitude in yourselves that
was also in Christ Jesus. He didn't think equality
with God a thing to be grasped, but he humbled
himself, remember? And then love obeys. He says,
now obey, not just in my presence, but now much
more in my absence. And now he's going to say,
love doesn't just obey, but in the everyday grind
of life, love actually cares. And here's what
I want you to get. Notice on the top of your
notes, it says, Timothy and Epaphroditus exemplify
the kind of person God uses to fulfill his purposes.
Let me read that again. Timothy and Epaphroditus
exemplify the kind of person that God uses to
fulfill his purpose. Out of this passage, I've
done something that I think is going to be very
helpful. There are four things that when God
is shopping, if you will, when he's looking,
when he's saying, should I use this man? Should
I use this student? Should I use this woman?
Should I use this couple? Are you ready? Should
I use this church? There's four things he's looking
for. And I put them in the form of a question.
I want, as I go through these, I want you right
now, would you please whisper a prayer? Oh God,
would you help me to have ears that are open
and a heart that's tender to hear that I could
answer these questions honestly? Because if you're
not using me to the extent that you've designed
me to, there's needs that are going unmet in
people's lives. They're not experiencing Jesus.
And secondly, I'm not experiencing the joy and
the power and what you designed me to be. Four
questions. Listen very carefully. Pull out your
pen. I've got a couple things to fill in. Question
number one, when God is looking, is do you have
a servant's heart? Do you have a servant's heart?
Do you really care about people to the point
of moving out of your current schedule, your
current rhythm, and just life as it is today?
See, that's what servants do. Remember, for a
servant, there's no job too low. There's no recognition
needed and there's no thanks required. A servant
doesn't whine about what's wrong. A servant says,
oh, there's a problem or a need. I'm going to
be a participant in changing it. Here's the issue.
We in our hearts and minds intend, but it's an
action step. I would like you, use your tear
-off tab or whatever vehicle, will you please
ask God, Lord, will you show me where to serve?
And if not in this church, in a Christian organization,
in a very special way of leading a study at work,
we just want you, the body of Christ, to have
a servant's heart. And a servant's heart isn't
measured by standing up in a service. A servant's
heart is measured by action steps that give and
serve and obey and care. And so just ask yourself,
honestly, do I have a servant's heart? There's
a man on Saturday nights, comes early, prays.
All during the service, he prays. We have another
service. He prays. And then on Sunday morning,
I drive in and I can tell you right where he
stands and he's helping people get in and out
of the parking lot. You'll probably never know
his name. You'll probably never recognize him.
You know what Jim has? You know why God's using
Jim? He has a servant's heart. Second question.
Are you willing and available? Are you willing
and available? Many care, but not to the point
of genuine willingness to act. Others are genuinely
willing. You're really willing? You're just not
available. You're just too busy. You're just
doing lots of stuff and you've assumed all the
stuff you're doing is the most important stuff.
If there's no time for God and if there's no
time to serve others for God, let me just tell
you, you're too busy. The application for some
in this church is to pause and stop and have
a little private moment with God or a family
council and say, we're too busy. We're going
to cut some stuff out and we're going to put
some God stuff in. Willingness and availability.
When the eyes of the Lord are going to and fro.
You know what? He doesn't use people that aren't
available and he doesn't use people that aren't
really willing. My question, are you? The second
reason people don't serve or don't care is, this
is so sad, but you actually think that you don't
have anything to give. And you actually think,
some of you, that because of what you've done
or what you've been through or the tragedy or
the abuse or the divorce or the separation or
the abortion or, you know, the bankruptcy. I
mean, I could go on and on and on and on. You
think, well, I mean, you know. God uses people
that are squeaky clean and have it all together.
You know, like the Apostle Paul, murderer, or
like Moses, murderer, or, you know, like James
and John, the guys with anger management issues,
right? I mean, people that really have it together
like Rahab. Oh, that's right. She was a prostitute.
Or, you know, Matthew, you know, the Apostle
Matthew. Oh, that's right. He was a tax collector
and a crook. I could go on. It always amazes
me. When I was a kid, I grew up in a real social
church and we didn't believe the Bible, but it
was a beautiful church and had all this stained
glass. And I'm for stained glass, don't get me
wrong, but they had all the pictures of all the
apostles like in stained glass. And that's where
I had them. And then, are you ready? I read this
book. And one of the greatest things that happened
in my life, these people are as messed up as
me. Some of them a lot worse. They're as messed
up as you. You know what I have in my hands?
These are people who say, this is a list of things
that they can check, that this is what I've been
through. The death of a parent, the death of
a child, the death of a close friend, an unwanted
pregnancy, the loss of a friendship, a chronic
fatigue, unresolved bitterness, job loss, struggles
with alcohol, struggles with drugs, a major family
change, gone through a divorce, been a single
parent, raised in a single family, have an addiction,
had a bad church experience, low self -esteem,
loneliness, depression, fire. from a job. And
you know what we say? Guess what? You qualify.
You qualify because the grace of God has taken
you through this. You don't have it all together.
We're going to say cancer. This is a person been
through cancer. Terrible divorce. This is a person
been through a terrible divorce. Guess what?
God uses people who will lay down their pride,
be open to get some training and teaching, and
say, I want God to use my brokenness and my pain
in ways that are restorative, that he's going
to leverage my hurt and my pain. Here's what
the scripture declares. God comforts us in all
our afflictions so that we can comfort others
as they go through it. The eyes of the Lord are
going to and fro, and he's asking, do you have
a servant's heart? He's asking, are you willing
and available? And as, you know, the green lights
come up on the dashboard of the Holy Spirit,
he's looking for those kind of people that he's
going to give direction and power and joy. Third
question you need to ask and answer. Are you
faithful in the assignments God's given you?
See, the fact of the matter is, is that God has
given us many opportunities and Timothy was faithful.
He was proven. Epaphroditus was faithful. And
he said, you have to be faithful. The thing that
amazes me, you talk about faithful, you talk
about well -prepared, you talk about people that
really pray. I remember a man named Dave Marshall,
who beyond all the quote, great Christians in
the world who revolutionized my life, Dave was
a bricklayer. Dave wasn't flashy. Dave wasn't
cool. The Bible studies weren't dynamic. He wasn't
a good speaker. But Dave didn't give up on me.
I was a sort of just came to Christ and I couldn't
figure out whether I was going to really walk
with God or keep hanging out in bars and doing
stuff I knew was wrong. And Dave just was faithful.
Dave invited me into his home for dinner. He
cared. Dave modeled what it meant to be a man.
He cared. Dave met with me once a week. And a
lot of times I blew him off. I wouldn't get up.
He just kept coming. He cared, he cared, he cared,
he cared. And you know what? Whatever my life
ever amounts to, whatever number of people or
depth of people who ever get changed or helped
by Jesus, Dave Marshall is the human reason because
he cared. Final question that God is asking is
are you loyal and teachable? Are you loyal? There's
people here that have lived through the ups and
the downs of, you know, leadership up and down
and struggles and crisis. And you know what?
They're loyal. They didn't come to this church
and say, hey, what's in it for me? And if it
isn't the way I like it, I'm leaving. They've
prayed. They've hung tough. They've been faithful.
They keep giving. They keep coming. They just
don't give up. And we are here because of them.
And my prayer is that I will be loyal and faithful.
for the generation that's going to come after
us. The final word I have there is not only loyal,
but teachable. Are you willing to learn something
new? You know, God is looking for people that
are willing to say, you know, I don't know how
to do that, but I'm open. What are you willing
to do? so that you could experience the blessedness
and the joy, and that you could be a part of
meeting the needs. But are you ready? Only you
can be. This is Living on the Edge with Chip
Ingram, and we're in our series called Choosing
Love. If you're ready to turn today's challenge
into lasting change, Chip's newest book, I Choose
Love, gives you the practical roadmap you need.
It doesn't just tell you what to do. It shows
you how to do it. You'll learn to recognize the
subtle ways pride and selfishness sabotage your
relationships. You'll discover practical exercises
to develop genuine humility. And you'll see how
choosing agape love, the sacrificial, others
-focused love of God, transforms even your most
difficult relationships. I Choose Love addresses
the real issues we all face. The tendency to
need the last word, the subtle belief that our
perspective is the truth, the grandiosity that
shows up in small ways like chronic lateness.
Chip gets brutally honest about his own struggles,
and he shows you the path forward. If you're
tired of broken relationships and ready to experience
love that actually works, get your copy of I
Choose Love today. Visit livingontheedge .org.
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that wraps up today's episode. Don't miss the
next Bible teaching message coming up here on
the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast. Today's program
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