WEBVTT 00:00:00.330 --> 00:00:04.030 I'm going to begin reading in verse 12, Philippians 00:00:04.030 --> 00:00:13.029 2. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always 00:00:13.029 --> 00:00:15.890 obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much 00:00:15.890 --> 00:00:19.890 more in my absence, continue to work out your 00:00:19.890 --> 00:00:23.149 salvation with fear and trembling. For it is 00:00:23.149 --> 00:00:27.190 God who works in you to will and to act according 00:00:27.190 --> 00:00:31.620 to His good purpose. Do everything without complaining 00:00:31.620 --> 00:00:34.820 or arguing, so that you may become blameless 00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:38.460 and pure, children of God without fault in a 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:42.219 crooked and depraved generation, in which you 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:45.780 shine like stars in the universe as you hold 00:00:45.780 --> 00:00:49.500 out the word of life, in order that I may boast 00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:52.340 on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor 00:00:52.340 --> 00:00:57.140 for nothing. But even if I am being poured out 00:00:57.140 --> 00:01:00.439 like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service 00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:04.239 coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:07.400 with all of you. So you too should be glad and 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.500 rejoice with me. I hope in the Lord Jesus to 00:01:11.500 --> 00:01:15.219 send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:18.540 cheered when I receive news about you. I have 00:01:18.540 --> 00:01:21.439 no one else like him who takes a genuine interest 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.730 in your welfare. for everyone looks out for his 00:01:24.730 --> 00:01:29.129 own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But 00:01:29.129 --> 00:01:32.829 you know that Timothy has proved himself, because 00:01:32.829 --> 00:01:35.469 as a son with his father he has served with me 00:01:35.469 --> 00:01:38.950 in the work of the gospel. I hope therefore to 00:01:38.950 --> 00:01:41.469 send him as soon as I see how things go with 00:01:41.469 --> 00:01:46.109 me, and I am confident in the Lord that I myself 00:01:46.109 --> 00:01:49.530 will come soon. But I think it necessary to send 00:01:49.530 --> 00:01:53.239 back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:56.519 worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your 00:01:56.519 --> 00:01:59.799 messenger whom you sent to take care of my needs. 00:02:00.620 --> 00:02:03.359 For he longs for all of you and is distressed 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:07.480 because you heard he was ill. Indeed, he was 00:02:07.480 --> 00:02:12.000 ill and almost died. But God had mercy on him, 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:15.860 and not on him only, but also on me, to spare 00:02:15.860 --> 00:02:19.819 me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I am all the 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:22.949 more eager to send him so that when you see him 00:02:22.949 --> 00:02:26.189 again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 00:02:27.189 --> 00:02:31.849 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy and honor 00:02:31.849 --> 00:02:35.650 men like him, because he almost died for the 00:02:35.650 --> 00:02:39.550 work of Christ, risking his life to make up for 00:02:39.550 --> 00:02:44.590 the help you could not give me." We continue 00:02:44.590 --> 00:02:48.590 today with the theme of the joy of unselfish 00:02:48.590 --> 00:02:52.840 living. We need to beware when all of the arrows 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:59.419 of life point inward. That is a joyless way to 00:02:59.419 --> 00:03:06.659 live and it happens so subtly. Times of diversity 00:03:06.659 --> 00:03:09.560 in particular have a way of causing us to lose 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:14.379 perspective. Before the trouble we were healthy 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:18.800 spiritually, balanced, with a genuine concern 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:23.060 for others' welfare along with our own. And then 00:03:23.060 --> 00:03:27.699 something happened. Our world was turned upside 00:03:27.699 --> 00:03:32.979 down. It was followed by hurt and disappointment, 00:03:34.340 --> 00:03:39.219 anger, maybe jealousy, whatever. And the result 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:44.979 was that we turned inward. Self -pity was indulged. 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:53.280 And we lost our joy in Jesus Christ. Joy can 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:58.560 be lost, but thank God, joy can also be regained. 00:03:59.419 --> 00:04:02.000 After all, joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:06.520 isn't it? But the fact is that the Holy Spirit 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:11.939 doesn't and can't grow that fruit in heart soil 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:16.000 that is packed down and hardened. by self -centered 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:22.879 living and thinking. How can we experience fresh 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:26.560 joy in our lives even in the face of adversity? 00:04:27.980 --> 00:04:31.300 Part of the answer to that is that by giving 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:36.240 of ourselves unselfishly to others, Christ's 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:40.740 joy will be released. Giving of our time, our 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:45.139 energy, our influence, our interest, to others. 00:04:46.220 --> 00:04:48.360 And doing so without thought of what we will 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:53.319 get in return will release the joy of Jesus Christ 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:58.160 afresh in our lives. We're going to follow basically 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:01.420 the same simple outline that we used last week 00:05:01.420 --> 00:05:05.800 as we look at this second half of the text. Let's 00:05:05.800 --> 00:05:09.199 go back to the exhortation that the apostle has 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:13.819 given us. It can be summarized in the idea Seek 00:05:13.819 --> 00:05:23.000 the welfare of others. Consider them before yourself. 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:29.199 Include their interests as you look after your 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:32.920 own interests. Seek the welfare of others. He 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:35.439 develops that in our text by saying that doing 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.480 so is a matter of obedience. It's a matter of 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:43.120 obedience to live this way. It was the way that 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:47.920 Jesus lived and he obeyed It says in verse 8 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:52.180 that he humbled himself and became obedient to 00:05:52.180 --> 00:05:56.779 death even the cross death What does that mean? 00:05:58.339 --> 00:06:02.060 It means that our Lord Jesus in humbling himself 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:06.800 and seeking the welfare of sinners you and me 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:13.569 In doing so obeyed God For us to seek the welfare 00:06:13.569 --> 00:06:17.189 of others is likewise obedience in our lives. 00:06:17.269 --> 00:06:22.189 It's a matter of obedience Paul says you obeyed 00:06:22.189 --> 00:06:25.750 when I was there, but now I'm Sure that you're 00:06:25.750 --> 00:06:30.829 going to obey even more You poison girls are 00:06:30.829 --> 00:06:35.269 sometimes given a job to do by your parents and 00:06:35.269 --> 00:06:37.670 It's one thing to do it while they're there in 00:06:37.670 --> 00:06:41.649 the room with you Maybe your parents says pick 00:06:41.649 --> 00:06:44.490 up your toys or clean up this room, it's a mess. 00:06:45.310 --> 00:06:47.610 Now I realize that would be unusual for your 00:06:47.610 --> 00:06:50.569 room to be a mess, wouldn't it? But once in a 00:06:50.569 --> 00:06:52.610 while, a parent will go overboard and ask you 00:06:52.610 --> 00:06:56.490 to clean up. Clean up this mess, and while they're 00:06:56.490 --> 00:07:00.930 in the room, it's easy for you to do that. But 00:07:00.930 --> 00:07:03.550 let's suppose your parent says to you, clean 00:07:03.550 --> 00:07:06.329 up the room, and then goes on an errand and leaves 00:07:06.329 --> 00:07:10.209 the house. Well, that's the real test as to how 00:07:10.209 --> 00:07:15.149 obedient you are when your parent is gone. Paul 00:07:15.149 --> 00:07:18.129 writes to these children of his in the faith, 00:07:18.509 --> 00:07:20.709 and he says, you obeyed when I was there and 00:07:20.709 --> 00:07:23.970 lived this way. And I'm convinced that even now 00:07:23.970 --> 00:07:29.089 in my absence you're going to do more. Seeking 00:07:29.089 --> 00:07:33.009 the welfare of others is a matter of obedience. 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.560 Paul goes on to say that it's also a matter of 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:42.500 evidence. In verse 12 he says, continue to work 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:46.600 out your salvation with fear and trembling. Notice 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:51.240 he does not say work for your salvation. We cannot 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:54.420 work for our salvation. It is given to us freely 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:58.959 as a gift from God. Our part is but to open our 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:03.240 hearts by faith and to receive the gift of God. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:08.420 The Philippians had received salvation from God, 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:12.680 but now Paul says, work it out. Work it out. 00:08:13.779 --> 00:08:16.500 Dwight Pentecost says this has in it the idea 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:21.459 of translate. Translating what is known into 00:08:21.459 --> 00:08:24.800 daily conduct. The fact is that most of us here 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:29.360 know more, spiritually speaking, than we live. 00:08:31.379 --> 00:08:34.990 And so he says, work it out. It's there, it's 00:08:34.990 --> 00:08:38.350 in you, salvation is within. Now get it worked 00:08:38.350 --> 00:08:43.110 out to its results in your life. That's a matter 00:08:43.110 --> 00:08:46.509 of evidence giving proof that we are genuine 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:50.529 Christians. Seeking the welfare of others is 00:08:50.529 --> 00:08:55.450 living like the one whom we name as Lord who 00:08:55.450 --> 00:09:00.370 lived that way. It's a matter of obedience to 00:09:00.370 --> 00:09:03.779 seek the welfare of others. And it's a matter 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:06.759 of evidence proving that we are truly His, that 00:09:06.759 --> 00:09:11.279 we have salvation. Thirdly, he says it's a matter 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:14.720 of witness that we should so live. It's a matter 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:19.519 of witness. Notice how he puts it. Do everything 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:24.620 without complaining or arguing so that you may 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:27.820 become blameless and pure children of God without 00:09:27.820 --> 00:09:32.590 fault in a crooked, depraved generation in which 00:09:32.590 --> 00:09:37.289 you shine like stars in the universe. He says 00:09:37.289 --> 00:09:40.610 do all things without griping and criticizing. 00:09:42.350 --> 00:09:44.330 Now there are some parameters around that and 00:09:44.330 --> 00:09:46.350 we have to think of the first parameter which 00:09:46.350 --> 00:09:48.830 is the context and what Paul is saying is that 00:09:48.830 --> 00:09:52.169 as you seek the welfare of others and whatever 00:09:52.169 --> 00:09:59.320 you do, do it without complaining about it. Do 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:04.299 it without murmuring and criticizing. There are 00:10:04.299 --> 00:10:07.480 times when we do things on behalf of others, 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:10.759 but man, under our breath, we've got a few things 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:15.620 to say regarding this duty. Paul says, whenever 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:19.080 you seek the welfare of others, do that without 00:10:19.080 --> 00:10:22.840 a sense of murmuring under your breath that you've 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:28.539 got to do this. Or criticizing. or complaining. 00:10:31.919 --> 00:10:34.139 He says when you live that kind of a life, it's 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:39.399 a testimony. That kind of a life which is submissive 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:42.539 and seeks the welfare of others is dynamic in 00:10:42.539 --> 00:10:47.100 a world like ours. He says you will stand out 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:52.740 like the stars in the night sky. You have to 00:10:52.740 --> 00:10:55.620 get away from the city to see those stars, don't 00:10:55.620 --> 00:10:59.789 you? Go up to a lake, the Northland somewhere, 00:11:00.210 --> 00:11:05.669 or even better, go to a farm in Kansas. And there 00:11:05.669 --> 00:11:08.850 you see the stars laid out in the expanse of 00:11:08.850 --> 00:11:11.110 the heavens and the Milky Way running through 00:11:11.110 --> 00:11:14.190 them and the constellations that you can remember. 00:11:14.250 --> 00:11:20.549 It's a marvelous sight on a dark night. The Apostle 00:11:20.549 --> 00:11:24.159 says that you live in a dark world. And when 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:27.000 you live this way, it will be a witness to that 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:31.559 world. You will stand out like illuminaries reflecting 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:38.279 the light of God Himself. Like the world in that 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:43.840 day, ours has a bias against God. And that prejudice 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:48.139 against God has produced a warped generation. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:54.059 He describes it here with two words. crooked 00:11:54.059 --> 00:12:01.840 and depraved. The word crooked is scolias. Some 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.419 of you will pick up in that Greek word the word 00:12:04.419 --> 00:12:09.500 scoliosis, which is a disease of the spine, causing 00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:13.779 the spine to unnaturally curve. This is where 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:17.559 the word comes from. He says you live in a generation 00:12:17.559 --> 00:12:22.159 that is curved unnaturally. that is diseased 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:27.779 by sin and bent over, out of shape. And he says 00:12:27.779 --> 00:12:31.960 it is depraved, it is twisted in its moral condition. 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:38.700 We live in a world with twisted values. We live 00:12:38.700 --> 00:12:42.740 in a time when people will protest to protect 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:45.299 the spotted owl, but think nothing of killing 00:12:45.299 --> 00:12:50.559 babies in a womb. twisted sense of values in 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:55.500 a world that is biased against God in the midst 00:12:55.500 --> 00:12:59.460 of that darkness of morality. Paul says you will 00:12:59.460 --> 00:13:05.179 shine like lights in God's universe because you 00:13:05.179 --> 00:13:08.860 will seek the welfare of others and look after 00:13:08.860 --> 00:13:14.879 their interests. You will live unselfishly and 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:19.850 give. energy, time, and influence, resources 00:13:19.850 --> 00:13:24.169 to help them. It's a matter of witness in our 00:13:24.169 --> 00:13:29.509 world. So giving of ourselves unselfishly and 00:13:29.509 --> 00:13:33.490 seeking the welfare of others is a matter of 00:13:33.490 --> 00:13:37.730 obedience, evidence, and witness. And living 00:13:37.730 --> 00:13:40.549 that way provides meaning and purpose for us 00:13:40.549 --> 00:13:44.899 ourselves in life. It gives to us a joy in living. 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:47.559 We've talked about cultural key ministries as 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:51.019 a church. This bridges perfectly into what we 00:13:51.019 --> 00:13:53.919 mean by that. We have a mainstream culture out 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:56.840 there that has built walls against the witness 00:13:56.840 --> 00:14:01.200 of the gospel. And our need as a congregation 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:05.139 is to ask God to raise up amongst us people with 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:10.019 a vision for certain hopes and hurts of those 00:14:10.019 --> 00:14:13.789 people in the world. Hopes and hurts that we 00:14:13.789 --> 00:14:18.149 can practically, in some way of Christ's love, 00:14:18.309 --> 00:14:23.210 address in meaningful ways. And as we seek those 00:14:23.210 --> 00:14:26.809 cultural key ministries, we will be able to unlock 00:14:26.809 --> 00:14:30.669 the doors of culture and let the light of the 00:14:30.669 --> 00:14:37.370 gospel shine in there. It costs to do that. It 00:14:37.370 --> 00:14:40.230 means we have to give of ourselves to do that. 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:46.399 It means it will take time and resources and 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:50.419 effort, but it's worth it. That's what he says. 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:57.299 Live this way. It's the way Jesus lived. Then 00:14:57.299 --> 00:14:59.919 he gives us three marvelous examples of others 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:02.320 who've lived this way. We had Jesus' example 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:07.179 last week to admire, and now this week he gives 00:15:07.179 --> 00:15:09.419 us three additional examples. One of them is 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:13.399 Paul himself. He describes his life in verse 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:18.200 17 as a drink offering. Even if I am being poured 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:22.500 out, he says, like a drink offering on the sacrificial 00:15:22.500 --> 00:15:27.299 service coming from your faith. It's helpful 00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:31.259 to understand what a drink offering is. In the 00:15:31.259 --> 00:15:36.779 Old Testament, God provided for a libation, an 00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:42.019 offering of wine. which was supplemental and 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:47.240 complementary to the main sacrifice. The main 00:15:47.240 --> 00:15:51.720 sacrifice was put on the altar and then, to augment 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:56.200 the meaning of it, the worshiper would take wine 00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:59.740 and pour it by the altar. It was called a drink 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:04.659 offering. Paul does a marvelous thing here. He 00:16:04.659 --> 00:16:10.509 sees the the sacrificial service of the Philippians 00:16:10.509 --> 00:16:15.289 as the main sacrifice in the altar being offered 00:16:15.289 --> 00:16:18.009 to God. And he says, I am like a drink offering 00:16:18.009 --> 00:16:21.230 just on the side being poured out. You see how 00:16:21.230 --> 00:16:24.509 he defers to the Philippians? He says, you're 00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:28.629 the main thing. The sacrifice and service that 00:16:28.629 --> 00:16:32.470 you offer to God, what a wonderful thing. But 00:16:32.470 --> 00:16:36.000 he says, my life is being poured out. Like a 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:40.600 wine offering on the side of it to augment Its 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:43.840 meaning to God and he says I'm glad about that 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:48.700 He says don't pity me in prison He says you rejoice 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:51.360 with me that I have the opportunity to see my 00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:55.080 life poured out in this way and remember when 00:16:55.080 --> 00:17:00.620 Paul was about to die He wrote to Timothy And 00:17:00.620 --> 00:17:06.160 he said to him I am already being poured out. 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:10.000 Again, using the same analogy, he saw his life 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:14.200 as being poured out. Can we see our lives that 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:19.799 way? Can God give us grace to see our lives as 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:22.119 having the greatest possible meaning in being 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:27.619 poured out as a sacrifice upon the altar? The 00:17:27.619 --> 00:17:33.220 second example is that of Timothy. The heart 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:35.259 and core of what he says about Timothy begins 00:17:35.259 --> 00:17:37.839 in verse 20. I have no one else who's a soul 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:41.779 brother, he says. No one else who's like him 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:45.160 who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:47.299 Now, Paul didn't mean that there was absolutely 00:17:47.299 --> 00:17:50.640 no one else because of Epaphroditus and perhaps 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.380 Luke and Aristarchus and some of his other team 00:17:53.380 --> 00:17:55.640 members would have been something like Timothy, 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:59.079 but it seems that Timothy stood out by himself. 00:18:00.840 --> 00:18:03.599 He points to Timothy and he says, I have no one 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:07.440 who's really quite like him. And then he says 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:10.819 sadly in verse 21, everyone looks out for his 00:18:10.819 --> 00:18:17.299 own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. If 00:18:17.299 --> 00:18:19.819 there were any verse that might be written across 00:18:19.819 --> 00:18:23.440 the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter quarter 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:28.509 of the 20th century, it might be verse 21. where 00:18:28.509 --> 00:18:31.289 so much of the Church of our Lord has adopted 00:18:31.289 --> 00:18:35.109 the thinking of the world, we have become truly 00:18:35.109 --> 00:18:39.809 worldly in seeking our own interests and not 00:18:39.809 --> 00:18:43.970 those of Jesus Christ. And so how special and 00:18:43.970 --> 00:18:47.309 refreshing to meet people like many of you who 00:18:47.309 --> 00:18:50.950 would be more like Timothy than like the others, 00:18:52.170 --> 00:18:54.789 who are willing to put first the interests of 00:18:54.789 --> 00:19:00.599 Jesus Christ. And then he points to the example 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:04.480 of Epaphroditus, the man who had brought a message 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:08.279 of love and a gift of money to Paul in prison 00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:11.900 from the Philippians. Paul was about to send 00:19:11.900 --> 00:19:15.200 him home again. He had gotten sick while he was 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:19.799 in Rome. They had heard about it. Epaphroditus 00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:24.480 was upset. But Paul says, I want you to know 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:28.369 that he did almost die. And he puts it this way 00:19:28.369 --> 00:19:32.329 in verse 30. He says he almost died for the work 00:19:32.329 --> 00:19:38.829 of Christ, risking his life. Paul uses a word 00:19:38.829 --> 00:19:42.589 there that's filled with a lot of color. Risking 00:19:42.589 --> 00:19:46.349 his life was a verb that was used originally 00:19:46.349 --> 00:19:52.569 to play the gambler. It was for high stakes dice 00:19:52.569 --> 00:19:57.019 gambling. But the word then began to broaden 00:19:57.019 --> 00:19:59.400 out in its meaning. It was used of a merchant, 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:03.059 for example, who would risk his life on the seas 00:20:03.059 --> 00:20:08.099 of that day for produce to bring back to sell. 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:12.500 For his gain, he would gamble his life or risk 00:20:12.500 --> 00:20:18.140 his life on the sea. Or it was used of a soldier 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:22.519 or an athlete who would enter the arena and risk 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:27.559 his life. in order to have some temporal gain. 00:20:29.180 --> 00:20:31.839 Paul picks up that word and applies it to Epaphroditus 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:35.019 and he says Epaphroditus was willing to lay it 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:39.119 all in the line. He held nothing back. He was 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:42.880 willing to risk even his life in this world for 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:49.059 the work of Christ. What marvelous examples the 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:51.700 apostle brings before us of people who are willing 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:55.279 to live for the welfare of others like we are 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:59.819 exhorted to live. But why should we live like 00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:03.579 Paul and see our lives poured out as a drink 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:08.019 offering? Why should we live like Timothy and 00:21:08.019 --> 00:21:11.960 live for the interests of others? Why should 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:14.359 we be like Epaphroditus and lay it all on the 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:21.450 line? Why should we be like Jesus? and submit 00:21:21.450 --> 00:21:25.630 ourselves even to death for the welfare of others 00:21:25.630 --> 00:21:30.210 who are undeserving. Well, we come to the explanation 00:21:30.210 --> 00:21:35.789 of it as we look back at verses 13 and 16. The 00:21:35.789 --> 00:21:38.769 apostle first tells us how we can do it and then 00:21:38.769 --> 00:21:42.970 explains why. How can a person really live the 00:21:42.970 --> 00:21:47.410 way Paul did? How can we live like Jesus did 00:21:47.410 --> 00:21:50.089 with such an attitude of submission and humility? 00:21:51.600 --> 00:21:55.160 He explains that we can do it because God is 00:21:55.160 --> 00:22:00.039 working in us. That's how. He doesn't say that 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:02.900 we've got to try hard to live this way and do 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:08.319 it in our own strength. He says it is God who 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:14.119 is working in you. Both the willing and the doing 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:17.140 of His good pleasure. And what is His good pleasure? 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:22.859 That we should seek the welfare of others. And 00:22:22.859 --> 00:22:26.079 he says, God is energetically working in you, 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:32.400 unleashing His power, first changing you so that 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:36.359 your will is affected. And you will want to live 00:22:36.359 --> 00:22:40.039 this way. And then He is enabling you so that 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:43.319 the deeds that flow out of your choices will 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:47.940 have meaning and eternal fruit. God is at work 00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:52.859 in your life. How can we possibly live like a 00:22:52.859 --> 00:22:57.180 Timothy or an Epaphroditus? We can't in ourselves 00:22:57.180 --> 00:23:02.819 But by surrendering to God We can know God's 00:23:02.819 --> 00:23:07.940 work in our midst in our lives changing us making 00:23:07.940 --> 00:23:16.000 us Building us and why should we live this way? 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:21.200 Paul touches on this when he says what he does 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:28.119 in verse 16 He says in order that I may boast 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:32.880 on the day of Christ That I did not run or labor 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:39.579 for zip for nothing Paul has a concern about 00:23:39.579 --> 00:23:42.519 himself. He says I want you to follow through 00:23:42.519 --> 00:23:46.559 and to to live this way So that when the day 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:51.400 of reward comes, the day of Christ, I'll have 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:56.720 not lived my life in vain." Has that thought 00:23:56.720 --> 00:24:00.539 ever crossed your mind as a high school young 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:08.079 person? That you can live the rest of your life 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:16.490 and for it to amount to nothing? Does that create 00:24:16.490 --> 00:24:22.130 any kind of desire in you to have life be meaningful? 00:24:24.230 --> 00:24:29.049 So when it comes time to die, you'll be able 00:24:29.049 --> 00:24:33.890 to say, I have not lived in vain. How do we do 00:24:33.890 --> 00:24:42.440 that? By seeking the welfare of others? We received 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:45.000 a telephone call last Sunday as we do every other 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.799 week from my in -laws. They told us a very sad 00:24:49.799 --> 00:24:56.900 story. When we had ministered in that area, there 00:24:56.900 --> 00:24:59.480 was a couple who had come to our church, had 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:03.240 been there in fact for many years, whom God had 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:10.650 blessed in financial ways. They had been successful 00:25:10.650 --> 00:25:12.829 in business, and as a result of that, had a lot 00:25:12.829 --> 00:25:20.049 of money. And they were willing to talk about 00:25:20.049 --> 00:25:25.750 that. And as life went along, they, like everybody 00:25:25.750 --> 00:25:28.029 else, gave some to the work of the Lord. But 00:25:28.029 --> 00:25:30.549 the general pattern of the life was to give a 00:25:30.549 --> 00:25:36.769 little bit and keep a lot. They had no children. 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:39.500 The older they got, the more the arrows began 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:44.180 to point inward. And in the last few years, in 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:47.880 their old age, this couple has lived in a mansion, 00:25:49.180 --> 00:25:52.140 but they invited no one to come to see them because 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:56.700 it was in total disrepair on the inside. They 00:25:56.700 --> 00:26:00.220 were ashamed of it. Lived rather eccentrically. 00:26:01.980 --> 00:26:06.849 Two years ago, he bought a big Mercedes. and 00:26:06.849 --> 00:26:09.710 bragged to my father -in -law about his Mercedes. 00:26:11.289 --> 00:26:15.930 And how much money he had in the bank. My father 00:26:15.930 --> 00:26:18.549 -in -law said, well, what are you doing with 00:26:18.549 --> 00:26:21.170 it to serve the Lord? Well, the man didn't want 00:26:21.170 --> 00:26:24.809 to hear anything about that. He really began 00:26:24.809 --> 00:26:30.990 to live like a Scrooge. He hoarded his wealth, 00:26:30.990 --> 00:26:33.289 and it became more and more true of him that 00:26:33.289 --> 00:26:38.970 he didn't have money. Money had him. And as a 00:26:38.970 --> 00:26:44.650 result of that, he lost the joy of living. He 00:26:44.650 --> 00:26:51.670 was an angry and bitter old man who really did 00:26:51.670 --> 00:26:55.589 not serve the God he professed to know. And with 00:26:55.589 --> 00:27:02.470 all the arrows pointed inward and being greatly 00:27:02.470 --> 00:27:06.559 discouraged and depressed, though he had all 00:27:06.559 --> 00:27:08.960 of the wealth that a person could want really 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:11.880 in this world and could have used that for the 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:15.299 glory of God invested in the lives of people 00:27:15.299 --> 00:27:19.400 in ministry. Last Sunday, he put a gun in his 00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:23.259 mouth and pulled the trigger and ended his miserable 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:33.460 life. Zip. Paul says, when I come to the day 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:37.940 of Jesus Christ, I want to note that I have not 00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:42.500 lived in vain. That I will have reward that Jesus 00:27:42.500 --> 00:27:45.240 will give me on that day because I have lived 00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:49.720 for others. I have sought their welfare. Oh, 00:27:49.740 --> 00:27:54.099 let's live that way. Paul says, you shine as 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:56.559 lights in the world holding forth the word of 00:27:56.559 --> 00:28:00.789 life. You can say, holding out the word of life. 00:28:00.869 --> 00:28:03.670 And it reminds me of a track meet I went to a 00:28:03.670 --> 00:28:06.990 few weeks ago with my son. We went to watch a 00:28:06.990 --> 00:28:10.369 friend of ours run from a local college. And 00:28:10.369 --> 00:28:12.450 while we were waiting for his race, we watched 00:28:12.450 --> 00:28:15.170 some other relays. And one particular runner 00:28:15.170 --> 00:28:17.369 got my interest because he was standing near 00:28:17.369 --> 00:28:19.849 me in his lane. You could see him getting his 00:28:19.849 --> 00:28:22.750 muscles all loosened up, and yet his mind was 00:28:22.750 --> 00:28:26.259 focusing more and more. the race that was about 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:28.640 to be run and the gun sounded in another part 00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:30.859 of the building you could see the race was started 00:28:30.859 --> 00:28:33.500 and the baton was being passed off from runner 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:36.380 to runner and finally the runner was coming toward 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:39.420 him and he got into place in his lane put his 00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:41.880 hand back and began to run at just the right 00:28:41.880 --> 00:28:44.720 moment and the runner held out the baton and 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:49.400 he dropped it and it bounced back and forth in 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:51.279 the lane and the runner had to stop and turn 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:53.720 around and pick it up and then take off again. 00:28:55.150 --> 00:28:58.309 And I watched as this young man who only seconds 00:28:58.309 --> 00:29:01.990 before was filled with hope and belief they were 00:29:01.990 --> 00:29:04.369 going to win the race. I watched as he came around 00:29:04.369 --> 00:29:08.849 the track to the finish line in last place. Dejected 00:29:08.849 --> 00:29:12.230 and disappointed. The race had been for nothing. 00:29:13.970 --> 00:29:18.529 Let's not drop the baton. It's been passed on 00:29:18.529 --> 00:29:23.470 to us. And now we have our race to run. Paul 00:29:23.470 --> 00:29:26.089 says if you want to run it so it won't be in 00:29:26.089 --> 00:29:30.750 vain then seek the welfare of others as you live 00:29:30.750 --> 00:29:35.630 Live like the Lord Jesus lived Looking not for 00:29:35.630 --> 00:29:39.609 your own interests only but also for those of 00:29:39.609 --> 00:29:49.819 others Let's pray together With our heads bowed, 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:52.200 I wonder how the Spirit of God would apply this 00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:56.240 to our lives, and who it might be that He's calling 00:29:56.240 --> 00:30:00.099 us to minister to, or how it is that He wants 00:30:00.099 --> 00:30:05.460 us to respond. Oh, we must beware when the arrows 00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:14.700 of life point inward. Father, teach us to live 00:30:14.700 --> 00:30:18.849 as we've been exhorted to live. in this chapter. 00:30:20.690 --> 00:30:25.029 Deliver us from the terrible mistake of living 00:30:25.029 --> 00:30:28.349 for ourselves and seeking only our own interests. 00:30:30.049 --> 00:30:34.309 Deliver us, I pray, from the worldliness that 00:30:34.309 --> 00:30:39.930 is about us on every side. As we live, as you've 00:30:39.930 --> 00:30:44.650 told us to here, may that be an effective witness 00:30:44.650 --> 00:30:52.789 for Christ. in our community. In Jesus' name 00:30:52.789 --> 00:30:58.150 I pray, Amen. I invite you to turn in your hymnal 00:30:58.150 --> 00:31:03.549 with me to hymn 92 as we sing a verse or two 00:31:03.549 --> 00:31:08.549 of this prayer that recognizes that we are channels 00:31:08.549 --> 00:31:12.869 of the power of God and vessels of His that He 00:31:12.869 --> 00:31:18.490 has graciously chosen to use. How I praise thee 00:31:18.490 --> 00:31:21.650 precious Savior that thy love laid hold of me 00:31:21.650 --> 00:31:24.430 we've sung about that earlier in the service 00:31:24.430 --> 00:31:28.910 That thou has saved and cleansed and filled me 00:31:28.910 --> 00:31:33.450 that I might thy channel be Let's stand together 00:31:33.450 --> 00:31:37.349 and sing the second verse emptied that thou shouldest 00:31:37.349 --> 00:31:41.630 fill me And who is working in you both the willing 00:31:41.630 --> 00:31:44.349 and the doing of his good pleasure? Let's sing 00:31:44.349 --> 00:31:48.509 verse 3 that talks about that Let's bow our heads 00:31:48.509 --> 00:31:55.970 please. Jesus, fill now with thy spirit hearts 00:31:55.970 --> 00:32:00.910 that full surrender know that the streams of 00:32:00.910 --> 00:32:07.470 living water from our inner man may flow. And 00:32:07.470 --> 00:32:10.589 may we so live that we will be your channels, 00:32:12.390 --> 00:32:19.900 your drink offerings. your sacrifices, your lights 00:32:19.900 --> 00:32:24.319 in a dark world. And empower us, I pray, as we 00:32:24.319 --> 00:32:28.519 go out this week to live just that way. For you 00:32:28.519 --> 00:32:35.480 are our Lord. And we desire to have your one 00:32:35.480 --> 00:32:41.500 mind seeking the welfare of others that we might 00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:44.160 then fulfill that mission you've called us to. 00:32:45.080 --> 00:32:48.619 God, may it be so for us individually and us 00:32:48.619 --> 00:32:53.119 as a church body together. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:32:54.359 --> 00:32:55.119 You're dismissed.