Philippians 2

Turn with me to Philippians chapter 2, Philippians chapter 2, and again, we'll be looking basically at verses 19 through 24 today, but to keep us in somewhat of a context, we'll take it again from verse 12, where Paul says, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God, without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life, in order that I may boast

on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and I rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon. That I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.

I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father, he has served with me in the work of the gospel. And I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will soon come.

Learning to rejoice in the Lord continually. Remember that that's what we're seeking to understand and glean from our study in the book of Philippians? Learning to rejoice in the Lord. Rejoicing in the opportunities to serve Christ, is chapter one. As we realize that we are his bond slave, that we've been set aside for his purpose, that we are in Christ already as we've been born again by the blood of Christ.

That we seek to love with the same affection and fervor that Jesus loved. That we come to the point of saying with the Apostle Paul that for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. That we come to the point that we know that those opportunities that we're going to have to serve him are going to be opportunities that we're not primarily going to choose. That we don't particularly want to have to go through, but that we can say with Paul again in verses 27 through 30 of chapter one that whatever's necessary Lord, whatever's necessary I'm willing.

Use me as a vessel. And as we come to that point, we are learning to rejoice in the Lord and we're learning to rejoice through the opportunities that he gives us to serve Christ. As we come to chapter two, we see that we're learning to rejoice as we have the mind of Christ. To do those things in chapter one. Is to understand already where we are in Christ. Okay.

Now we go a little bit deeper in learning how to rejoice in the Lord is as you and I see what the mind of Christ is. We're told to have that mind in chapter two, verses one through 11. It's a mind that that submits itself first to the father. Jesus submitted himself to his father for his, for his father's will to be served. I mean, Jesus wanted that too. Jesus loved you and I before we were ever born.

That's a strong case for pro-life that he knew you and he died for you from before the foundation of the world. And he, he wanted to redeem you, but he submits himself to the father's will in that. And he moves for your benefit for yours and my benefit. He's others centered to that point, submitted to the father, moving for the welfare and the benefit of others that shows us the mind of Christ.

And then in verses five through 11, we saw how he did that, how he emptied himself of his glory of everything that was rightfully do him. And he submitted himself to the father who would raise him up in due time, who would exalt him for everything that he'd suffered. And he submitted himself and became a servant. He found him, found in the form of a flesh as a man and submitted himself unto death.

Even the death of the cross, knowing that the father would raise him up when the time was right. And so having the mind of Christ is that submission to the will of God, so his submission to serve others even unto the point of death. And that is a possibility in each of our lives, but more likely it will be through the dying to ourselves for others, for the blessing and enrichment of others in the Lord, and then letting God raise us. Letting God raise us up, letting the Lord exalt us, letting the Lord bring about recognition as, as recognition is necessary.

As we do that, we're having the mind of Christ. And as we're having the mind of Christ, then verses 12 through 18, we're to do that without grumbling or complaining. Now we can do that. You see, if you just said in chapter one, verse one, do everything without grumbling or complaining, it would seem like an absolute impossibility, but you already see everything that comes before.

You're already his bond slave and you're already set aside by him for special works and service. And you're already in Christ and he's already given you the power to love others through him. And he's, he's already surrendered his life for yours, giving you the example of what you can do through the power of the Holy Spirit in you. So when he says to us now do these things without grumbling or complaining, he's not asking us to do anything that's impossible apart from his working in us.

That's what he tells us to work out in the idea of working out our salvation. Let that come out. It's already there. Just let it come out so that you do these things without grumbling and complaining. And in that your life is noticeably different. In the lives of the people in the world, then you are literally a draw. You draw people that way. As you have that attitude, as you have that mindset and you're a paradox, you're a Christian

is a paradox. He's, he's, he can't not be explained if we're, if we are truly living the way this is telling us how to live in Philippians in the book of Philippians, but so far in these first two chapters, you are such a contrast to the world that they cannot explain it other than it has to be some kind of a work in your life. And they'll, they'll finally come to the point of acknowledging that it has to be God. But there's such a paradox in our lives.

A, uh, AW Tozer, uh, died in 1963. He was a pastor. He was an author of at least some 40 books, um, was a tremendous speaker scholar, probably one of the most profound Christian teachers of our century. And uh, he writes about this and I want to read this to you. It's just a little, it's a small article, but I'll read it quickly so that you don't zone out. So strand, try and stay with me because he really explains extremely adequately.

I believe this paradox that we're, that we're looking at here in Philippians chapter two, he says at the heart of the Christian system lies the cross of Christ with its divine paradox. The power of Christianity appears in its antipathy toward never in its agreement with the ways of fallen men. The truth of the cross is revealed in its contradictions. The witness of the church is the, is the most effective when she declares rather than explains for the gospel is addressed not to reason, but to faith.

Let me put a little parenthesis in there, pick up on that. The strongest testimony that you and I guys have, you, you and I, you guys and I have is as we just live it and just proclaim it. Now the defense of it is what apologetics is all about and we need to know what we believe so that as people ask us, we can give them the reason for the faith that we have. I mean that's in there too.

But the main thing that we're told to do is just to declare it, just to proclaim it. And that's what, that's what Tozer says because it goes actually beyond reason and speaks to faith. What we've proved requires no faith to accept. Faith rests upon the character of God, not upon the demonstrations of laboratory or logic. The cross stands in bold opposition to the natural man.

It's philosophy runs contrary to the processes of the unregenerate mind so that Paul could say bluntly that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. To try to find a common ground between the message of the cross and man's fallen reason is to try the impossible and if persisted in, it must result in an impaired reason, a meaningless cross. And a powerless Christianity. But let us bring the whole matter down from the uplands of theory and simply observe the true Christian as he puts into practice the teachings of Christ and his apostles.

That's what we're talking about here in Philippians chapter 2. Note the contradictions. The Christian believes that in Christ he has died, yet he is more alive than before and he fully expects to live forever. He walks on earth while seated in heaven and though born on earth, he finds that after his conversion he is not at home here. Like the night hawk. Which in the air.

The essence of grace and beauty but on the ground is awkward and ugly so the Christian appears at his best in heavenly places but does not fit well into the ways of the very society into which he was born. The Christian soon learns that if he would be victorious as a son of heaven among men on earth, he must not follow the common pattern of mankind but rather the contrary. That he may be safe, he puts himself in jeopardy. He loses his life to save it and is in danger of losing it if he attempts to preserve it.

He goes down to get up. If he refuses to go down, he is already down. But when he starts down, he is on his way up. He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is strong. Though poor, he has the power to make others rich. But when he becomes rich, his ability to enrich others vanishes. He has most after he has given most away and has least when he possesses most.

He may be and often is highest when he feels lowest, most sinless when he is most conscious of sin. He is wisest when he knows that he knows not and knows least when he has acquired the greatest amount of knowledge. He sometimes does most by doing nothing and goes furthest when standing still. In heaviness he manages to rejoice and keeps his heart glad even in sorrow.

The paradoxical character of the Christian is revealed constantly. For instance, he believes that he is saved now. Nevertheless, he expects to be saved later and looks forward joyfully to future salvation. He fears God but is not afraid of him. In God's presence he feels overwhelmed and undone, and yet there is nowhere he would rather be than in that presence.

He knows that he has been cleansed from sin. He is not afraid of God. He knows sin, and yet he is painfully conscious that in his flesh dwells no good thing. He loves supremely one whom he has never seen, and though himself poor and lowly, he talks familiarly with one who is King of all kings and Lord of all lords and is aware of no incongruity in doing so.

He feels that he is in his own right altogether less than nothing, and yet he believes without question that he is the apple of God's eye and that for him the eternal Son became flesh and died on the cross of shame. The Christian is a citizen of heaven. And to that sacred citizenship he acknowledges first allegiance, and yet he may love his earthly country with that intensity of devotion that caused John Knox to pray, O God, give me Scotland, or I die. He cheerfully expects before long to enter that bright world above, but he is in no hurry to leave this world and is quite willing to await the summons of his heavenly Father.

And he is unable to understand why the critical unbeliever should condemn him for this. It all seems so natural and right in the circumstances that he sees nothing inconsistent about it. The cross-carrying Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God.

The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The Christian is the one who is not afraid of God. The cross-carrying Christian, furthermore, is both a confirmed pessimist and an optimist, the likes of which is to be found nowhere else on earth.

When he looks at the cross, he is a pessimist, for he knows that the same judgment that fell on the Lord of glory condemns in that one act all nature and all the world of men. He rejects every human hope out of Christ because he knows that man's noblest effort is only dust building on dust. And yet he is calmly, restfully optimistic. If the cross condemns the world, the resurrection of Christ guarantees the ultimate, ultimate triumph of good throughout the universe.

Through Christ, all will be well at last. And the Christian waits the consummation. Incredible Christian. You are a paradox. If you are having the mind of Christ and are moving in this life in that way, you are a paradox. You are a contrast that is unexplainable and a tremendously strong testimony. Now, as we come today to this section, I want to emphasize again this attitude of grumbling

and complaining. Being put aside because that's what the emphasis is as we go into the last part of chapter two. It continues on with that same thought as we look at Timothy and Epaphroditus. You see, there is too much criticism among believers. There is too much of a critical spirit in the hearts of those who know this Jesus, who know this salvation. We are too often tearing down instead of building up.

You are in the book of Philippians. Go back to your left just a couple pages and you'll be in Ephesians. Go to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter four, just a couple pages back. Chapter four and look at verse 29. We looked at this this past Wednesday night at Home Fellowship. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

And those who listen there are not just those to whom you are talking specifically, but they are those who are around you and listening as you talk. And we're to speak in such a way that encourages and builds up. But let me ask you, in your coffee breaks at work and your lunch hours and the gatherings that you have during the day, what primarily fills your conversation? Are you speaking things that are edifying and unto the building up or are you finding yourself consistently speaking things of a critical nature, criticizing one another?

I'm guilty of it too. You see, we're so often, we look to stop the big sins, you know, the drinking and the drugs and the sexual promiscuity and maybe you've never drank and maybe you've never done drugs and maybe so far you're in a monogamous relationship with your spouse or you've not had premarital sex, so maybe none of those really are, and so you feel like you're okay, but this one nails us all, brothers and sisters. I mean, we are all guilty of this, of a critical spirit, a critical attitude, and you walk in and it doesn't make any difference what the weather's like. It's either too hot or too cold or it's too dark or it's light too early.

Or it's too hot this time of the morning or it's not hot enough. You know, the weather is never right. Your boss is never right. Your husband or wife is always doing something wrong that you're really willing to talk about to somebody else. The things that are going on in ministry are never the way that they really should be or the way that they used to be before, so it's real easy to talk to people about that, about

those things that are going on, you see? We're all guilty of that. And this says stop, stop. You have the power to do it and you need to do it and it has to be done. It has to stop. Stop being critical. This month's Discipleship Magazine has an article in it by Carol Mayhall and at the beginning of the article she writes, quote, her date arrived early and she answered the

door with her hair standing on end from back homing. Embarrassed, she tried to make the best of the situation by smiling brightly and saying, well, what do you think? He grinned and said gently, it looks like something beautiful is about to happen. She says, when I read that story, I remembered another incident in which a husband caught his wife with her hair in huge curlers.

He said, what happened to your hair? I said it, she responded. When does it go off, he replied. Both of those instances were funny, but only one was really kind. Only one wasn't critical. You see, it's so easy for us to be critical. A critical spirit's part of our human nature. It's part of our flesh. And it's one of the last things to be tamed, it's one of the last things to be controlled.

James is one of the last books in our Bible that talks about controlling that rudder, the tongue. It's one of the last things to be tamed, because it sets on fire the fires of hell in what we speak. Even our local newspaper, even the Traveler, has two columns in it, what's on your mind and letters to the editor. What's on your mind is the chicken way out, because that's where you can call in and leave everything you want to say on the answering machine that they'll print and you don't have to leave your name.

But if you'll read those two sections, nine out of ten of the things that are called in or written are complaints about things that are going on or people in the government here or somebody at the Traveler. You know? Complaints. Every now and then, every now and then, you'll read something where somebody has called in and said, I would like to commend our school district or I would like to commend the police department.

But those are about one out of ten. Nine out of ten are usually critical and complaining. The children of Israel, when they came back from their Babylonian captivity and they came into the land and they rebuilt the city of Jerusalem and they rebuilt the temple under Zerubbabel. The older generation that had seen the glory of Saul. The older generation that had seen the glory of Solomon's temple, the Bible says, they

wept and moaned and cried because they remembered the glory of the former temple. And this one in no way compared. It was just a structure. And they complained. And you see, what they failed to realize was that God had simply done what he promised he would do. That he had promised judgment if they disobeyed and turned from him and they did and he did. And he told them it would be for 70 years.

And they'd let them go and come back into the land and he did that and they did. And his presence was there with them, you see. But they were looking to the outward structure and so they failed to realize that God's presence was with them. That he'd given them the freedom to return and worship him and that the building didn't matter that much. They were to recognize his presence, his glorious presence with them.

And yet they became critical and they complained. And you see, when you and I are critical, we're failing to recognize the blessings that God's given us all around us. And that his presence is there. And his presence is there and nothing else really matters, you see. Because everything else is transitory. Everything else is going to pass away. Even the loved ones that we have are going to pass away.

We went through Winfield yesterday and I haven't been to Winfield for a while. And I can't believe the things that have changed. We lived there for years before we moved down here. And just the things that have changed. Just between 10 miles of town since I was on the police department years ago. It's amazing. These things are going to change. They're going to go away.

They're going to not be anymore. But look at the blessings that God has given you. Look at the promises that he's fulfilled in Christ for you and for me. We have nothing to be critical about. We're his bond slave. We're set aside unto him for special service. We are in him for me to live as Christ. Whatever's necessary, Lord. I want to have the mind of Christ.

There's no room for criticism. There's no room for a critical spirit. And so when we are critical of anything, we are negating the presence and the power of God and the purpose of God. And it is so awesome and it hits us all to the extent that we're warned about it to stop doing it. You see, the children of Israel lacked an appreciation. They lacked an appreciation of those that had come back to help them build the temple.

And in our generation, we lack a sense of appreciation today. I don't hear many saying that they appreciate too much. The interest rates are too high. The taxes are too much. The electric bill's too high. There's nothing around here, you know, that is right. And we live in the best society in the world. If you don't like it here, please take a trip across the border.

Please get on a plane and fly to Europe. Please get on a plane and go with me to Africa. I've been there. We don't have anything at all to complain about. And yet over and over and over, that's all we do. This generation is filled with a feeling of not being appreciated. One of the top responses by the youth in our country. And by workers in our country on surveys that are taken, the number one, one of the number

one responses is they don't feel appreciated. Young people in our generation don't feel that they're appreciated. Workers in this society don't feel that they are appreciated. People involved in ministry, all you guys that have been in Awanas, I mean, I know you've burned out and you probably haven't felt appreciated because we haven't told you that we appreciated you.

And you may feel like the Lone Ranger, but there's a hundred other ministries just in this church that may have the same feeling. And they're ministering to your kids or they're ministering to you, drug and alcohol addicted or singles or the marriage ministries or the home fellowships, whatever people involved in ministry one to another. And yet how, how much do we tell them that we really appreciate them or how much do we go around and complain to others about what we don't like about what's going on? Because there's a lack of feeling appreciated.

Now, if you don't feel appreciated, there's a cycle that develops here. There's always cycles and everything, everything in life, there's cycles because they're based on principles. If you do this, it cycles to this, it cycles to this, it cycles to that. If you don't do this, it cycles to this, it cycles to that. There's consequences for everything that we do.

And if you haven't realized that, realized that by now, then, and you may not be a real strong student of the scriptures, let me just encourage you. That is a fact. If you fail, listen, if you fail to feel appreciated, you will fail to show appreciation, which leads to a critical spirit, which when you're critical, when you have a critical spirit, it doesn't generate appreciation. It just generates more apathy, which is more, not a sense of appreciation, which you don't show appreciation, which generates more of a critical spirit.

And it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. It's a cycle. The way you break that cycle. Is there an answer to that? Absolutely. There's an answer right here in chapter two, having the mind of Christ. That's what we've been talking about. Having the mind of Christ dwells in the security of the father, just like Jesus did. You dwell. Do you dwell safely right now?

Knowing that whether your job is here today or gone tomorrow, or your spouse or your family is here today or gone tomorrow, or this ministry is here today or gone tomorrow, or something else in this area is here today or gone tomorrow, do you dwell safely in the security of your father to know that he has you in his care and he will take care of you and take care of the situation? As we do that, as we begin there, then there's an other centeredness that we see that others are more important. I need to be looking outside and ministering to others. As I do that, I purpose.

I say, God, it's a command that you've given me not to grumble or complain. I'm not going to do that. As I do that, then I come to the point of where we are today in verses 19 through 24, showing appreciation for others, showing appreciation for others. See, it's not enough. Listen, it's not enough just for us to purpose, not to grumble and complain. If you've been doing that, you've noticed the struggle over the last couple of weeks,

how hard it is to not do that, but you can do it. Just continue to keep that awareness before you. Make it a purpose. Make it a purpose of your prayer life. God, continue to make me aware. When I start to complain, when I start to grumble, let me stop it. And he will. But there needs to be then the positive sense of affirmation, of showing appreciation for other people, of appreciating others.

And Timothy and Epaphroditus here in verses 19 through 30 are examples of that. They were excellent examples of servants of God. And Paul here commends them. He shows his appreciation for them. And by doing that, he shows us how to encourage others. And how to show that appreciation for the other believers. Look at verses 19 and 20. Paul says, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered

when I receive news about you, for I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. Now, look down at verse 23. He says, I hope therefore to send him as soon as possible and see how things, as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come. Soon. In this section, the first thing Paul does, and he surrounds his commending of Timothy

with this, is he submits himself to the Lord's will. Mind of Christ. Remember? Submit it to the Lord's will. I'm submitted to the Lord. I hope in the Lord Jesus, he says, verse 19. Verse 23, I hope therefore to send him. Verse 24, and I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. He wants to do these things. He's purposing to do these things, but he submits himself to the Lord's will.

Lord, whatever you want. I want to do this. But I'm submitted to you in that. Listen, if you and I can just begin to grasp that, it helps when all of the things seem to fall apart. You're getting ready to go on vacation. Only most of you are back. But you were getting ready to go on vacation this summer, and you had everything planned, and you were ready to drive out the door, and you realized that you forgot something,

and you went in to get it, and you came out and locked the door and locked your keys in the house, and you can't get back in, and you had to break a window to get in, and there's your keys, and now you've got a window to fix. And so you can't, you know, it can be whatever. And you get frustrated, right? Because it's not going according to my plans. Paul didn't want to be in jail.

He didn't look to be in jail. I'm going to be in jail. Oh, yay. I want to be in jail. That was not part of his plan. He wanted to go to Philippi. He wanted to minister to the Philippians. He wanted to go on to Spain. He wanted to go to Tarsus and visit relatives there and minister there. He didn't get to go. Something had interrupted his plans, but he'd committed it to the Lord.

God was in control. You see? If we can do that. If we can learn to do that. Everything. Lord, I get up this morning. My day is yours. I'm surrendered to your will. And you, you, whatever happens, you see, is laid at his feet. Surrendered to his will. And I hope to do this. But if I don't, it's because God's in control and he has plans otherwise, and I'm submitted

to you. You will lead me. Now, Paul is purposing here in verse 19 to send Timothy to them. Now, there's two reasons he wants to send Timothy. The first one, it says, he says, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon. He knows they are in need. I read one commentary that said that Paul hadn't been there for 10 years. I'm not sure where they got that figure, but that Paul hadn't been to Philippi for about

10 years. However long it had been, it had been a long time and Paul wanted to go. He wanted, and he knew that they were going through a tough time in their faith. And so he's sending Timothy to encourage them. There's that other centeredness again, submit to the Lord's will. And he's other centered, looking out to minister to others. That's the mind of Christ.

That's what we've seen in the first 11 verses. I don't know if you've thought about this or not in this chapter. But we did in Thessalonians as well. This was a sacrifice for Paul to send Timothy. Remember back in Thessalonians, he sent Silas and Timothy while he was in Athens. He sent them on up to Thessalonica to see how the believers were doing there. Remember it was a sacrifice for Paul to do that.

Why? Because it meant he was alone in Athens. Strange city. He didn't know the, didn't know the climate, the culture, didn't know, didn't have a feel for it yet. He was all alone and he'd just been chased out of several cities. He was still healing from the wounds from that. And yet here he's all alone in Athens. And it was a sacrifice for him to send out Silas.

And Timothy. Well, it's the same thing here. Epaphroditus and Timothy are probably the two main people that have been there during his stay in Rome in jail. And so he's surrendering them. He's sending them back to minister to others. So it's a sacrifice to him to do this, to be an encouragement. Listen, it's a sacrifice to show appreciation for others. They say, no, wait a minute.

I, I appreciate everything that's going on. I appreciate my family. I appreciate my wife. Appreciate my job. Appreciate my church. You tell them. You show them. Husbands. Do you love your wives? Do you really appreciate your wives? Well, of course I do. Would you tell them or show them? They know it. No, they don't. You got to tell them. You got to show them.

Wives. Same thing. Do you love your kids? Do you appreciate your kids? Well, of course I do. Look at all that I do for them. You know, I changed their diapers. I, I go get stuff and all that stuff. That's just basic daily function. Do you tell them? Do you show your appreciation for them? See, showing appreciation is hard. It's a sacrifice. And it was a sacrifice for Paul to send Timothy in.

Epaphroditus. But he is sending them for their benefit. And he knows his future is uncertain. And Timothy was a comfort to him. I mean, I mean, if you're going to be chained in prison, it's nice to have a friend, you know. At least you can talk to. But he's sending away his comfort for the sake of encouraging them. But secondly, he was also going to minister to Paul.

And he knew that. He says that I may be cheered from the report that I received. That I too may be cheered. Now, remember I talked about cycles? The same is true. As you show appreciation. As you give appreciation to others, you can't out give what God will do. It comes back. It comes back. And Paul knew that. And so he's commending Timothy to them and showing his concern for them and his appreciation

for the Philippians as well. And knowing that when Timothy comes back, he's going to be cheered. He's going to be encouraged. Please remember that there's a mutual benefit in showing appreciation. There's a mutual detriment in criticism and a critical spirit. Appreciation will lift you up. Criticism will tear you down. You seek to be critical about someone else, it will end up robbing you of joy, tearing

down inner peace, causing frustration in your heart. Your body will be tense. We'll see that a little bit later as we get into the end of this. But appreciation releases, it frees, it loosens tight muscles. It puts joy in your heart to show appreciation. Let's look at Paul's commending of Timothy here quickly and then some of the things that he doesn't say.

Verse 20. He says, I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. I have no one else like him. It says in NIV. If you're reading King James, I think it says, I have no man like-minded. If you're in NAS, it says, I have no one else of kindred spirit. Kindred spirit. That's New American Standard and the Anne of Green Gables version.

For those of you that know Anne of Green Gables and the kindred spirit thing. No one else of kindred spirit. It's from two words that mean equal and soul. So Paul is saying, Timothy is equal-souled with me. He has the same feeling for you. I mean. I just see this as a job. He feels what I feel about you. He has the same desire to minister to you. Paul is showing that Timothy is outstanding in his commitment to this work of Christ.

He says, for I have no one else like him. He's the only one who's like-minded, who's kindred spirit with me in his desire for you. Now whether or not that means that there wasn't anybody else in the world that Paul could have sent. Nobody else in the world had the same feeling for the Philippians as Paul did. Whether it means that. As some commentaries say.

No one else in that vicinity where Paul was in Rome felt the same way. So Timothy was it. You know. You're it. You gotta go. Or more so. More so. Probably. Timothy was the only one willing to go. Willing to go. Timothy. I want to send you to Philippi. No. I've already been to Thessalonica, Paul. And I remember what that's like. You know. I don't want to go back to anywhere else.

I want to stay here with you. I mean. And if we die together, we die together. But Timothy was very probably the only one who was willing to go apart from Epaphroditus who was from there. And he just wanted to go home. Paul says, I have no one else like-minded. He's committed to this work of Christ. He's willing to go. He's willing to sacrifice and go wherever I send him to go.

Again, showing appreciation involves a sacrifice. Are you? It's what the Lord wants us to do. Are you willing to do it? He's the only one, he says, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. The word genuine there is true or sincere. The word for interest is an interesting word. It means distracted. It's usually used in a negative sense in the language itself.

But here it's used in the positive sense. He's saying Timothy has a genuine interest. He's true, truly and sincerely distracted from me to you. He's really willing to do what God wants him to do because he's distracted from me to you. He's willing to give up that time with me to be able to go to you and minister to your needs. No one else like-minded, willing to do the work of Christ who takes a genuine interest,

he says, in your welfare. The word welfare. There. He's telling you, for the Lord's sake. In other words, Timothy is willing to go and he's willing to minister to them and tell them what's necessary for the Lord's sake in their lives. Not, Timothy is not going to be a welfare, you know, distributor. He's not just going to come and seek to meet every need that they think they have and just

give them whatever they want. Timothy's willing to come and help them mature by telling them the truth, by teaching them the word, by giving them what they need for Christ's sake. So some of the things he'll withhold that they think they need, but he's willing to do that because he has a genuine interest in their welfare. Verse 21, though, Paul says, everyone looks out for his own interest.

Everyone other than Timothy and Epaphroditus really look out for his own interests. And the interest, the word for interest there means the things of themselves, the things of themselves, their own things. Everyone else. Isn't that a sad commentary? There were probably a lot of believers there. There was already a church at Rome, but everyone else was looking out for their own welfare.

In other words, they didn't want to have to uproot and go to Philippi to get the rest of the church. They wanted to go to Philippi to carry a message and to find out how the Philippians were doing just so that Paul could know they were concerned about their own interests, their own welfare. How about us? How about us? Do we fail to realize the joy in our lives because we complain about situations and we're

not willing to go to someone and show our appreciation to them because we're too busy with our own interests and feeding our own egos by our critical spirits? See, the more selfish we are, the less we'll experience. The joy of the Lord. Period. The more selfish we are, the less we experience the joy of the Lord. Everyone is concerned for his own interests. Verse 21, the last half, not those of Jesus Christ, not those of Jesus Christ.

It was what interested Christ that captured Timothy's heart and he wanted to do whatever and Paul's commending him for that. What are Jesus interests? Who is Jesus really interested in? Where you live and work and are you aware of it and are you interested in those things? You see, if you want, a lot of people don't know how to pray or don't know what to pray

for specifically. Let me give you a few things that will help where critical spirits are concerned. Sit down sometime and I know if you're like me, I don't have the time, but when you find yourself sitting and you're not just doing something immediately, write down like tomorrow, Monday. What do you have to do? Do you have to go to school? Do you have to go to work?

Or neither. You get to stay home. Well, wherever you're going to be, write down who is in that sphere that you'll be making contact with. If it's at school, who in your classes do you regularly see that you'll be making contact with? And your teachers? If it's at work, who will you be working around? Who will you be taking breaks and lunches with? Who's the boss of that section, the foreman or the lead man of that section?

If you get to stay home, well, lucky you. You get to pray for your family and then pray for them. Pray for them that God would move in their hearts, that they could see him, that they could see his goodness and see his love and see his concern for them and that they would not have a critical spirit and that as they start to criticize, they'd be aware of it and as you start to be critical in that circle, that you'd be aware of it and stop. You know how to stop?

Having the mind of Christ and doing just what we saw Psalm 68 do this morning as we started off. Recounting the glorious works of God. You want to stop a critical spirit? Tomorrow when you're at work and somebody criticizes somebody, maybe it's your boss or maybe it's somebody else that you know, just begin to talk about the things of God in that way. Just even tell them, you know, hey, we heard a study in the Word yesterday about not having

a critical spirit and I really want to believe that God loves this person and that he wants to minister in their lives and so I'm purposing to pray for them and not to criticize them and watch where the conversation goes, off onto something else. Or maybe the Lord, if you've prayed for them before you went, maybe the Lord's opened their hearts to that and they're going to ask you questions about it and he gives you a chance to declare the cross, declare the gospel. Make it an active part of your prayer life and watch God begin to change it. But you cannot sit now and just let it go.

You've been forewarned. You're accountable for it. You can't just sit and hope it'll change over the course of time. It won't. You are flesh and your flesh will dominate unless you choose by an act of your will to submit it unto the Spirit and let God help you in this area of grumbling and complaining and criticalness. That's what Timothy was doing and Paul was commending him for it.

Verse 22, Paul says, Timothy has proved himself because as a son with his father, he has served with me in the work of the gospel. He has been with Paul in his trials. He's been with Paul through these things. Paul sent him before to Thessalonica. He's already proved his faithfulness as a son with his father and Paul commends that characteristic in Timothy.

So we see Paul commending the things in Timothy that God is doing or will be doing in Timothy's life. That's what we do when we show appreciation to someone is commend what God is doing in their lives. Thank them for what they've been doing. When we talk about them to others, we remember to others what God is doing in their lives. That's what we do when we show appreciation to someone is commend what God is doing in

their lives, not pass on their weaknesses. As we close here, I want to show you this real quick, because this is what Paul did not say about Timothy. I don't know how you, again, how you see the Bible characters, but sometimes we can see them in a distorted view. We can see them as not real people. These are nice stories in a book, or we can see them as somehow more gifted than we could

ever be living in this holy bubble that we cannot even attain to, but they are just like us. Let me show you some of Timothy's friends. His frailties, okay? In a way that the Bible brings them out in other places, but that Paul did not say here. Did you realize that Timothy was, at this time even, probably just a young whippersnapper? That even though he was half Greek and half Jewish in both cultures, wisdom was not seen

to be in men under 30. I mean, up to the age of 30, you were just still growing, still learning, and how could you ever presume to teach anybody anything? Until you're older than 30, and so Paul could have said, well, I'm sending this little whippersnapper up to you, and he's, you know, he's still a runt of a kid, but, you know, he'll do okay. Just kind of listen to him.

1 Timothy 4.12, Paul tells Timothy himself. See, Paul sent Timothy later to pastor the Ephesian church, and many scholars believe that Timothy could very well possibly still have been, God forbid, a teenager going to pastor this huge church in Ephesus, and in 1 Timothy 4.12, Paul says to him, don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech and life and love and faith and in purity. That's writing Paul to Timothy, but we know from that that Timothy was a young individual, and his youth could have been a detriment, and Paul could have said something here about that to the Philippians, but he doesn't. Do you know that Timothy was probably very sensitive and very intimidated, that things

didn't roll off his back like a duck, like it did Paul, but that he took everything personally, was easily offended, and he was intimidated by everybody, probably because of his youth, and he was fearful. Did you realize that about Timothy? 1 Corinthians 16.10-11, Paul writes to the church at Corinth, if Timothy comes to you, he was going to send him to Corinth too, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you. Why did he write that?

Why didn't he say, if Timothy comes, see that he has a good time, or if Timothy comes, make him comfortable. Why did he write, see that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord just as I am. No one then should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. No one then should refuse to accept him.

Why wouldn't they accept him? Because he's a young whippersnapper. And he probably said to Paul, I don't want to go up there, Paul. Oh, they're going to make fun of me, and I just don't, I'm not ready for that. I had it in Thessalonica, and I just don't want to go there again. Very possibly, and Paul says, I'll send a letter. Leave him alone, or you answer to me.

He was sensitive. And it's obvious that he was afraid that these things... That these things caused him to fear. 2 Timothy 1, verses 7 and 8, again, Paul writing to Timothy while he is pastoring the Ephesian church. For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Why did he write that to Timothy? Why did he write it with such power?

Because Timothy was that way. He was easily intimidated, very sensitive, easily made afraid. You know how else I know that? Because it made him sick. That was so much, he was probably so fearful that it literally made him sick. 1 Timothy 5, verse 23, Paul says, Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

I know that's a lot of conjecture, but from these other sections, I really think Timothy was so intimidated and so sensitive. I mean, he loved the Lord and he loved people, but he was easily intimidated, just like a lot of us are, that it caused him to just get fearful and tied up in knots in certain situations. And it caused him to possibly have an ulcer and maybe some other infirmities. Who knows?

When you're afraid, your body tightens up, you can cramp, you can get sick. But he had these infirmities. Paul didn't say that to the church at Philippi. He didn't say, Now Timothy's coming, be easy on him or he'll puke. You see, he didn't point out the weaknesses. He just affirmed what God was doing in his life, that he was committed, that he was sensitive

to the people and he had the same love for them that Paul did, that he wanted to come. He was willing to go. You see, Paul could have been critical, but he never mentions anything negative here. He only emphasizes the blessings of God. So may we learn to appreciate others and to show that appreciation in that way, commending them. You know, I've been finding more and more that what I see as weaknesses in people, if

I affirm their strengths, if I show appreciation for them and affirm their strengths, God seems to take care of the weakness. But if I go around pointing out weaknesses. Hey, you're going to get hurt. Hey, you're really bad in that, you know, you really got to watch it. All of a sudden, there's a wall between me and thee. And then I, you kind of sense him getting a spirit of, I don't want to be around you

if you're going to keep pointing out my faults. God never tells us to do that. We're not to go point out, but there's nowhere in here that it says point out faults. There's nowhere in here that it says point out weaknesses. It says build up those who are weak. It says bear with one another, but it doesn't say go around pointing out weaknesses or telling other people about the weaknesses.

Now, I know I have weaknesses. I probably have more weaknesses than you, but I'm going to purpose not to tell others about yours if you will purpose not to tell others about mine, but that we pray for one another and we seek to affirm each other and seek to show appreciation for one another in the body of Christ, because that's where it's at. And as we do that, you talk about a paradox. If you're sitting in a room and people are being critical and you either aren't or tell them you're not going to be, or start talking about how God can really bless that individual, you will be.

A paradox. But you'll also have an opportunity very probably to share about the love of one who has changed your life and can change theirs as well. Let's stand together. Purpose with me to break the cycle of criticism and all of its effects, and let's begin together a new cycle of appreciating one another and let God really show forth his appreciation.