WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:06.160 Hey, thanks for joining us today on Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 2 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:09.960 the Bible Teaching Ministry of Rick Warren, and today we're 3 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:14.439 continuing our series called the Habits of Happiness. In this series, 4 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:17.519 Rick dives into the Book of Philippians and helps you 5 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:22.320 discover God's path to true and lasting happiness. I can't 6 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:25.719 wait to dive into today's message. So here's the final 7 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:28.960 part of a message called happiness can be learned. 8 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:32.240 Number two. Not only do I live with integrity, I 9 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:36.079 keep my promises. This is the other way you learn 10 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:39.600 this second quality, keep my promises. Psalm fifteen four talks 11 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:43.359 about they are always these people always do what they promise, 12 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:47.880 no matter how much it may cost them. I actually 13 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:50.439 like this verse better in the King James English, where 14 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:55.359 it says God blesses the person who sweareth to his 15 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:59.119 own hurt swear it to his own What does that mean? 16 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:02.039 He means you keep a promise and then you find 17 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:03.479 out it's going to cost me more than I thought 18 00:01:03.479 --> 00:01:05.480 I was gonna cost me, but I still keep my promise. 19 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:08.719 I said I'd do it for that price, and I'm 20 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:11.000 going to take a bath on it. But I'm going 21 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:15.120 to do it because I keep my word, and I'm 22 00:01:15.159 --> 00:01:18.439 going to keep my promise no matter how much it costs. 23 00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:23.480 So if I want to be happy, then I've got 24 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:27.040 to first shift the focus away from myself. It's not 25 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:30.799 about me. And second, I've got to become somebody that 26 00:01:30.879 --> 00:01:34.359 people trust. And we see those from Timothy. Now, Paul 27 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:37.519 is a superstar. I mean, this is the guy who 28 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:39.879 wrote most of the New Testament part of the Bible. 29 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:44.159 Paul is a superstar. Yet Paul knows that we get 30 00:01:44.200 --> 00:01:48.400 more done by working together. So here's the third skill 31 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:51.159 that you got to learn in order to be happy 32 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:54.519 in life, and that is this number three. Learn how 33 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:59.799 to work well with others. And you know what, they 34 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:04.560 don't teach you that anymore. And if parents don't teach 35 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:07.799 their kids this, they may not learn it in school. 36 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:10.800 You must learn how to work well by the way parents. 37 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:13.360 These are four things you need to teach your kids. 38 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:16.960 If you want your kids to be happy, they've got 39 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:19.639 to learn to switch the focus away from themselves. They've 40 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:22.599 got to learn to become someone that is trustworthy, and 41 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:25.759 they've got to learn how to work well with others. 42 00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:28.000 What am I talking about here, I'm talking about the 43 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:32.639 skill of being a team member. The skill of collaboration, 44 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:35.919 the skill of working together. If you don't know how 45 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:38.240 to work with other people, you're going to be unhappy 46 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:41.599 much in your life. Well, what do I need to 47 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:43.560 learn in order to work with other people? You need 48 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:45.960 to learn two things, the Bible says. Write these down. First, 49 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:51.240 learn to cooperate. I need to learn how to cooperate, 50 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:55.080 and that's not something you automatically do. That's one of 51 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:58.560 the goals of parenting is teaching your children how to 52 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:02.759 share their toys, teaching your children how to put away 53 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:08.560 the toys together, teaching your children how to cooperate, often 54 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:12.120 with people who are very different in personality. Learning to 55 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:15.199 cooperate and Paul gives the second guy a paphorditis as 56 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:18.400 an example of this quality. In verse twenty five, he 57 00:03:18.439 --> 00:03:23.879 says this, I send back to you a paphorditis, my brother, 58 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:27.759 my fellow worker, and my fellow soldier. Circle those three terms. 59 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.039 We're going to come back to it. Brother, fellow worker, 60 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:34.680 and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you 61 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:37.800 sent to take care of my needs. Remember this is 62 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:42.759 the guy that the church in PHILIPI sent with an 63 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:45.719 offering a gift of money, financial support to tell Paul 64 00:03:45.759 --> 00:03:49.360 while he was in prisoner Rome. Paul says, he's my brother, 65 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:52.919 my fellow worker, my fellow soldier. He's worked and fought 66 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:56.560 by my side. What is Paul Singer? This guy knows 67 00:03:56.599 --> 00:04:00.479 how to be a team member. This guy knows how 68 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.319 to work in a group. He's not a lone ranger. 69 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:05.800 He's not a prima donna. He's not a he's not 70 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:10.400 a a you know, a maverick. This is a guy 71 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.080 who knows how to work with other people. Now, I 72 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:15.560 just want to tell you real surely, the better you 73 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:18.560 learn this skill, the happier you're going to be in life. 74 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:20.720 If you don't know how to work with people different 75 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:25.639 from you, you're in You're in deep, deep guacamole. Because 76 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:27.720 let me tell you something, most of the world is 77 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:30.519 different from you. And if you don't know how to 78 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:32.800 work with people who are different from you, then you 79 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:37.120 don't You just shut yourself off to most of the world. Now, 80 00:04:37.160 --> 00:04:42.319 Paul uses here in this passage three relational metaphors their 81 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:46.480 their teamwork terms, and he says, my brother, my fellow worker, 82 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:50.680 and my fellow soldier. What does he say? He's saying 83 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:57.480 that life and ministry. Life is a family. It's a fellowship, 84 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.959 and it's a fight. It's a family. It's a fellowship 85 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:04.480 and it's a fight. It's family, he says, He calls 86 00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:09.680 him my brother. The church is the family of God. 87 00:05:10.079 --> 00:05:13.199 That means every one of you are related to each other. 88 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:15.800 If you know the Lord, the people you're sitting next 89 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:19.240 to are your brothers and sisters. In fact, for thousands 90 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:21.439 of years, when people went to church, they used to 91 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:24.560 call each other brother and sister, brother so and so, 92 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:29.879 brother Bob, sister Sue, brother Tom, sister Janice. You know, 93 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:31.759 maybe we ought to bring that back because we've kind 94 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:36.519 of lost the attitude of we are family. One hundred 95 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:41.120 and thirty three times in the Bible, God uses family 96 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:44.360 terms to refer to the church. So we're a family, 97 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:47.959 he says, my brother. Then he says, all, we're a fellowship, 98 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:50.680 a fellow worker. We're to work together, to serve together. 99 00:05:50.839 --> 00:05:53.639 We've been given the same tasks, we have the same 100 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.519 great commission, we have the same common goal. Where a family, 101 00:05:56.519 --> 00:05:58.399 we're a fellowship and wear a fight. He says, my 102 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:04.040 fellow soldier. Would you agree that life's a battle? Would 103 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:08.319 you agree that sometimes you feel like you're at war, yeah, 104 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:10.959 and that forces are against you. Yeah. Well, he says, 105 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:12.439 you know what, it's a battle, and we all have 106 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:14.920 the same enemy, Satan, and we need to support each other, 107 00:06:15.160 --> 00:06:17.360 we need to defend each other, we need to encourage 108 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:19.519 each other. And there's a word for that. It's called 109 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:25.720 small groups. Where do I learn to be a family, 110 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:28.439 a fellowship and to fight for each other in a 111 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:31.279 small group. You don't learn it in a big meeting 112 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:34.639 like this. You learn them in a small group. We support, 113 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:37.000 and we defend, and we encourage each other. I love 114 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:39.920 what Jesus said. I love this message. Paraphrase of one 115 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:43.439 of the beatitudes. Jesus said, you're blessed when you can 116 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:47.240 show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. 117 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:50.879 Why if you learn to cooperate with others, your happiness 118 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:53.360 is going to go up exponentially. Now, Not only do 119 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:55.439 I need to learn to cooperate, here's the second one. 120 00:06:55.600 --> 00:07:01.279 I need to learn to be considerate. The more considerate 121 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.959 you are of other people in life, the happier you're 122 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:09.319 going to be. The more inconsiderate you are of people 123 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:13.319 in your life, and learning clerks and people who serve 124 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:16.879 it fast advice. The more inconsiderate you are of waiters 125 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:19.879 and waitresses and people who serve you, the more unhappy 126 00:07:20.160 --> 00:07:23.079 you're going to be. When you see somebody in a 127 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:27.279 restaurant being inconsiderate to a waiter or waitress at that point, 128 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:31.680 are they being happy? No, they are not. They are unhappy. 129 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:37.319 It's because those two things don't go together. And he's saying, 130 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:39.240 Paul saying, you got to learn to be thoughtful. You 131 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:42.199 got to learn to be kind, sympathetic and understanding of others. 132 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.319 And again he gives epaphorditis as an example. Verse twenty six. 133 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:50.079 There in your outline, he says, now I must send him, 134 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:52.240 that's a paphorditis. I' must send him back to you 135 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:56.639 because he longs to see all of you. And he's 136 00:07:56.639 --> 00:08:02.920 been worried about your distress. That's called consideration. He's worried about, 137 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:07.279 not his distress, worried about your distress since you heard 138 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:10.959 that he was sick. Now, notice in this verse we 139 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:15.240 see two examples of consideration. Paul is considerate of his 140 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:20.000 coworkers concern and he said it paphridiitis. Really, he's homesick. 141 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:22.240 He wants to come back home. He longs to see you. 142 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:26.000 Paul is considered if his coworker's concerned, and the Paphroditis 143 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:31.000 is considerate of the philippians concern. They had heard that 144 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:33.519 the Paphroditis on the way to Rome had gotten sick 145 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:35.720 and nearly died, and they were afraid their friend had died. 146 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:40.440 And the Bible says in the message, he wants to 147 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:44.799 get back and reassure you that he's fine. This is 148 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:48.639 a key to happiness. The more considerate you learn to 149 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:52.480 be of other people's needs, other people's doubts, their fears. 150 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:56.879 The more considerate you learned to be as a husband 151 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:01.399 as a wife, the happy or your marriage is gonna be. 152 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:06.360 If you are inconsiderate, you're gonna have an unhappy marriage. Now, 153 00:09:06.399 --> 00:09:10.759 First Corinthians one to ten says this you must this 154 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:13.919 is not an option. You must get along with each other. 155 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:18.600 You must learn to be considerate. Circle the word learn. 156 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:22.519 You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating 157 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.879 a life in common. I think every marriage ought to 158 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:29.039 learn that verse. We all want to memorize that one. 159 00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:31.600 You must learn to be considerate because you were about 160 00:09:31.759 --> 00:09:36.240 nature not not naturally considerate, and you have to cultivate 161 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:39.200 circle that word, cultivate a life in common. He's saying 162 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:41.960 it takes work. You know, I grow a garden of 163 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:46.759 vegetables every year, and it takes cultivation. They don't just 164 00:09:46.840 --> 00:09:49.399 grow on their own. I have to go out and 165 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:53.480 prepare the soil, you know, break up the dirt cloths. 166 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:56.480 I have to add in the nutrients, after water, after weed, 167 00:09:57.000 --> 00:10:01.879 feed I cultivate. And he's saying it takes work to 168 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:05.440 cultivate a life in common. You know what the problem 169 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:10.600 with most marriages today. They've stopped working. They've stopped working 170 00:10:10.759 --> 00:10:14.679 on the marriage, So the marriage stops working. When you 171 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:17.919 don't work on the marriage, then the marriage doesn't work. 172 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:21.840 That's obvious, and a lot of people would rather give 173 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:25.000 up on a marriage than work on a marriage. He says, 174 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:28.919 you got to cultivate a common life together. And what 175 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:32.559 is it? He says, it's through consideration. We have to 176 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:36.399 be thoughtful of the effect of our words and the 177 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:40.919 effect of our actions. That does not come natural to me. 178 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:44.200 Maybe it comes natural to you, It doesn't come natural 179 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:47.840 to me. I don't naturally think about how my words 180 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:50.399 are gonna affect you, or how my actions are gonna 181 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:53.759 affect you. Now, sometimes you'll hear people say, well, I 182 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:56.600 just believe in I just say what I think. Well, 183 00:10:56.600 --> 00:11:01.159 there's a word for you, rude. You're proud of that 184 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:07.279 a parent can say what it thinks. It takes intelligence, 185 00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:11.320 and it takes character to be considerate, to not just 186 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:13.960 run off at the mouth, to not just say whatever 187 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.120 you think, but to stop and before you say go, 188 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:22.320 how will this affect somebody else? Paul is an example 189 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.759 one Corinthians ten thirty three. He says that don't just 190 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:28.039 do what I like. I don't just do what I 191 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:30.200 like or what's best for me, but I do what's 192 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:34.879 best for everyone so that they may be saved. Paul says, 193 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:39.159 I put the conversion of others before my comfort. I 194 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:43.679 put the conversion their conversion before my comfort. This is 195 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:46.879 the fourth quality. If I want to be happy, I've 196 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:48.639 got to learn these things. I've got to learn how 197 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:52.120 to shift the focus away from me to others. I've 198 00:11:52.120 --> 00:11:55.519 got to learn to become the person, a person that 199 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:59.679 people trust by doing what I say, I do keeping 200 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:02.759 my promises. Then I got to learn how to work 201 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:06.399 well with others, learning to cooperate, learning to be considerate 202 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:10.480 at work, at home, in the neighborhood, whatever, and that'll 203 00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:12.639 increase my happiness. There's one other one, and this is 204 00:12:12.639 --> 00:12:15.480 a really big one. If I genuinely want to be 205 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:18.679 happy in life, the fourth choice you need to make 206 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:22.799 to be happy in life is to live for something 207 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:29.279 worth dying for. Until you have that, you will not 208 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.799 have ultimate happiness in your life. I must learn to 209 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:36.960 live for something worth dying for. Most people are giving 210 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:40.240 first class allegiance to second class causes, and those causes 211 00:12:40.279 --> 00:12:44.639 are betraying them. I talked to one time to a 212 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:46.840 guy who said I climbed the ladder of success. When 213 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:48.879 I got to the top, I found it was leaning 214 00:12:48.919 --> 00:12:53.399 against the wrong wall. And a lot of times we 215 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:58.559 give big time commitment to small time causes that aren't 216 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:01.120 going to last. The question you need to ask yourself 217 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:05.399 that you're given all your time, all your energy, all 218 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:08.399 your thoughts, whatever you think about most, and you're given 219 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:10.879 all your time and energy and money to these things. 220 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.879 Ask how much is this going to matter five years 221 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:16.799 from today? How much is it going to matter ten years? 222 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:18.320 How much matter is it going to end up matter 223 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.759 in a thousand years? The best use of your life 224 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:27.120 is to invest it in that which outlasted. You need 225 00:13:27.159 --> 00:13:31.000 to live for something worth dying for, and you are 226 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:34.679 not ready to live. You're not ready to live, to 227 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:37.879 really live until you know what's worth dying for. If 228 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:41.120 you've never figured that out, you're coasting. You're not really living, 229 00:13:41.159 --> 00:13:44.399 you're existing. You're not ready to live till you know 230 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:48.000 what's worth dying for. Now, Paul ends with these words 231 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:53.440 about Epaphroditis verse twenty seven and verse thirty. He says, indeed, 232 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:57.840 talking about paphard isis, he was very ill, and he 233 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:04.480 almost died. He risked his life. That's lived for something 234 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:08.200 we're dying for. Risked his life for the work of Christ. 235 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.879 And it was at the point of death while trying 236 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:15.919 to do for me the things you you, my friends 237 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:20.360 back in Philippi couldn't do because you were far away. 238 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:23.360 Now let me give you the background again. This Paul 239 00:14:23.480 --> 00:14:28.960 is in prison in Rome. The Philippian Church is in Greece. 240 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:34.879 It's eight hundred miles away. Okay, The Philippian Church decides 241 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:40.559 to send a care package to Paul in prison. There 242 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:44.639 are no planes, there are no trains, there are no automobiles, 243 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:47.559 and it's eight hundred miles and there's only one way 244 00:14:47.639 --> 00:14:51.279 you can get to roam walk. It's going to be 245 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:56.960 an eight hundred mile walk to deliver this offering that 246 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:00.759 the Philippians have decided to take. Pafford, a member of 247 00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:04.879 that church raises it, I'll do it. I'll do it. 248 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:11.279 I'll walk eight hundred miles through thick and thin, through robbers, thieves, 249 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.720 battling armies, and all kinds of things that I'll walk 250 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:17.240 eight hundred miles just to take a gift from our 251 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:20.080 church to a guy who's in prison eight hundred miles away. 252 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:24.200 It says he risked his life. The Greek there literally 253 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:30.000 says he hazard his life. It's a gambling term. Epaphroditis 254 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:37.120 is God's godly gambler. He gambled his life for Jesus Christ. 255 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:41.000 Now on this eight hundred mile walk to take this 256 00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:45.039 offering to Rome. Doesn't tell us what he got, what 257 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:48.039 kind of disease, whatever. But he got so sick he 258 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:52.159 nearly died, and that's what everybody was worried about. He 259 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:56.879 nearly died. But in spite of persistent pain, he completes 260 00:15:56.919 --> 00:16:02.639 his mission and he finishes what he starts. Now, let 261 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:05.759 me ask you two very personal questions for you this 262 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:09.200 year two thousand years later. Here are my two questions 263 00:16:09.159 --> 00:16:13.240 of you. What commitment have you started that you haven't 264 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:17.840 yet finished? What if the paphroditis in the middle got sick? 265 00:16:17.879 --> 00:16:20.159 It does that? I give up? I'm going back to Philippi. 266 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:25.519 He wouldn't have completed his mission. What commitment have you 267 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:30.759 made that you need to keep? Maybe it's a commitment 268 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:35.919 to your spouse, a commitment you made to your husband, 269 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:41.000 A commitment you made to your wife that I'm going 270 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:45.559 to do this, I'm going to work on this, but 271 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:49.879 you haven't. Maybe a commitment you made to one of 272 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:55.559 your children or to a friend. Maybe it's I don't know, 273 00:16:55.639 --> 00:17:00.919 a commitment you made to God. What have you started 274 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:04.240 that you need to complete? What have you begun? You 275 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.480 made a commitment to God and you need to keep 276 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:11.079 that commitment. You need to finish it. You need to 277 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:15.480 be consistent and you need to be reliable. Let me 278 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:19.039 ask a second question. Is your commitment to Christ deep 279 00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:25.920 enough to cause you to risk your life? This is 280 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:28.799 why these people, Timothy and a Paraphroditis are so rare. 281 00:17:28.839 --> 00:17:32.039 There aren't many people like this. I mean, if your church, 282 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:35.519 if Saddleback Church asked you to walk eight hundred miles 283 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:39.720 to deliver a gift. Would you do it? Would you 284 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:43.000 do it? There are many people like this. Guy, Sure, 285 00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:44.920 I'll do it. I'll go walk eight hundred miles to 286 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:48.119 take a gift to a guy in need. Would you 287 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:51.680 do that? There aren't many people like this, It's rare. 288 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:55.039 That's why the Bible says honor them. He says, you're 289 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:58.079 to honor Timothy, You're to honor men like this. See. 290 00:17:58.119 --> 00:18:01.279 Most people say, well, I'll live for as long as 291 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:03.720 it's convenient, But right now there's a good game on. 292 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:08.599 Excuse me. Most people will be happy to live for 293 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:13.319 Christ as long as it's convenient and it's comfortable. Are 294 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:16.200 you willing to live for Christ at work when it's 295 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:21.000 inconvenient and it's uncomfortable. Well, no, then you're not much 296 00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:25.279 of a Christian. This is why God says honor people 297 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:31.640 like this. God says, honor those who take risks sharing 298 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:37.319 the gospel. I want to honor you. If you went 299 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:40.400 on a peace plan anywhere, would you stand up right now? 300 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:42.359 I want us to honor you. Just stand up. If 301 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:48.279 you've gone on a peace plan trip anywhere. God bless 302 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:50.519 you and all of our campuses. I want you to 303 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:53.079 stand up in all of our campuses too, people who 304 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:57.119 have gone on a peace trip. God bless you, and 305 00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:59.240 I honor you for that. And let me give you 306 00:18:59.240 --> 00:19:03.519 a little secret. Whether you stood or you didn't, God 307 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:09.920 is not finished testing your faith. So get ready. You 308 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.000 think God's gonna let you just coast the rest of 309 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:15.279 your life. Really, you think God's gonna say, oh, all 310 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:17.960 of the big risks in your life are behind you, now, 311 00:19:18.079 --> 00:19:22.200 are you kidding me? As long as you're alive, God's 312 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:26.839 gonna keep testing you with risky decisions for his sake. 313 00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:32.559 To test your faith. God is going to call you 314 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:35.559 to be a part in some way, to play some 315 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:38.119 role of what He wants to do through this church. 316 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:40.640 I'm absolutely certain of it, or he wouldn't have called 317 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:43.359 you here. And all I'm ask you to do is 318 00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:47.160 to pray this week, say God the most dangerous prayer 319 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:51.240 in the world. Remember it's two words. Use me. I 320 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:54.400 dare you to pray the most dangerous prayer in the world. 321 00:19:54.759 --> 00:20:01.039 Use me. I'm afraid to pray that. Pray it because 322 00:20:01.079 --> 00:20:04.799 it is the secret of happiness. You don't know really 323 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:08.119 how to live until you know what's worth dying for 324 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:11.440 I want you to write this down, the last thing 325 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:17.160 to write down. Happiness comes from putting service before security. 326 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:23.799 Happiness comes from putting service before security. God blesses those 327 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:28.759 who serve Him even when it's inconvenient and uncomfortable. Happiness 328 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:33.400 comes from putting service before security. Not doing the safe thing, 329 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:38.440 but doing the thing that stretches your faith. And if 330 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:40.640 you say God, use me, he'll figure out what that 331 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:43.720 is for you, and he'll let you know. Now we'll 332 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:46.559 end with Jesus' secret of happiness, which sums up what 333 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:49.960 we've looked at this weekend mark eight thirty five. Jesus 334 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:53.960 said this, Only those who give away their lives for 335 00:20:54.039 --> 00:20:56.799 my sake and for the sake of the good News 336 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:02.519 will ever know what it means to really live. Only 337 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:07.640 those who give away their lives live for something we're 338 00:21:07.720 --> 00:21:10.960 dying for for my sake and for the sake of 339 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:14.240 the good News, we'll ever know what it means to 340 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:17.200 really live. You're just existing until you have a purpose 341 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:20.359 greater than yourself to get out of bed for in 342 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:25.319 the morning. Now, let me summarize it. The happiest people 343 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:34.359 in earth are caring, consistent, cooperative, considerate, and courageous. That's 344 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:37.680 what we just looked at. They're caring, they get the 345 00:21:37.720 --> 00:21:42.480 focus off themselves. They're consistent, they learn to be trustworthy, 346 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:46.200 they're cooperative and considerate. They know how to work with 347 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:50.400 other people on a team. And they're courageous. They're willing 348 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:55.599 to take risks in faith. Let's bower heads. If you 349 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:57.319 want to be happy, I invite you to pray this 350 00:21:57.359 --> 00:22:00.279 prayer with me. Dear God, I want to be like 351 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:06.200 these guys. I want to learn to be happy. I 352 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:08.759 realize that happiness isn't a matter of luck, it's a 353 00:22:08.759 --> 00:22:13.960 matter of learning that I can choose to be happy. 354 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:17.279 I can make decisions to be happy. I can develop 355 00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:22.640 character that will make me happy. Help me to get 356 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:26.079 the focus off myself. Lord, I'm really sick and tired 357 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:30.599 of looking at me. Help me to become somebody that 358 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:36.880 people can trust, reliable, dependable, trustworthy. Help me to do 359 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:40.640 what I say I do. Help me to keep my promises. 360 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:44.920 And Lord, I need to learn how to get along 361 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:48.160 better with others. I need to learn how to cooperate, 362 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:50.240 and I need to learn how to be considered. I 363 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:53.799 need to learn how to be a team member, how 364 00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:57.400 to work with people, who are different from me. I 365 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:59.240 want to be like Paul, who said, I don't just 366 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:05.759 do what's best me, what's best for everybody. If you're married, 367 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:09.960 say Lord, help me to cultivate a life in common 368 00:23:10.920 --> 00:23:16.240 with my spouse. Say Lord, help me to learn to 369 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:22.359 be considerate of my spouse and my kids. And Lord, 370 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:25.240 help me to live for something worth ying for. I'm 371 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:28.000 going to pray the most dangerous prayer right now. Lord, 372 00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:32.440 use me. I don't know what that means, but I'm 373 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:36.039 open and I trust it. You'll show me what you 374 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:39.079 want to do in my life that will stretch my faith. 375 00:23:39.319 --> 00:23:43.359 Use me the way you plan, not the way somebody 376 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:47.200 else plan, but your plan. If you've never invited Jesus 377 00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:49.359 Christ in your life, say Jesus Christ, come into my 378 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:54.680 life and save me and forgive my sense, change me, 379 00:23:55.720 --> 00:24:00.319 and make me the person you want me to be. Father, 380 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:02.200 I thank you for these who've prayed this prayer today. 381 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:08.759 We know that holiness leads to happiness, that happiness actually 382 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:11.720 comes from holiness, and as we become more like you, 383 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:15.960 we become more happy. I pray a blessing on every 384 00:24:16.039 --> 00:24:18.640 person here that whatever you've called us to do, we 385 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:23.440 will do. Whatever commitments we've made we will keep. And 386 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:25.559 I pray this blessing in the name of the Father 387 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:34.079 and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. You know, 388 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:36.880 if you just prayed that prayer for the very first time, 389 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:41.119 or you just recommitted your life to Jesus again today, 390 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:44.000 would you let me know about it. There's something real 391 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:47.680 about sharing your commitment. So write me Rick at pastor 392 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:50.480 Rick dot com and say, Rick, I prayed that prayer 393 00:24:50.480 --> 00:24:53.480 of commitment, I gave my life to Christ. And I'll 394 00:24:53.480 --> 00:24:56.039 send you some material that will help you on your 395 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:59.440 journey with Jesus. And I'll also pray for you. God 396 00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:00.000 bless you. 397 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:06.200 What a moving message from Rick, and I'm also so 398 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:09.160 moved when we hear from you. In fact, here's Rick 399 00:25:09.279 --> 00:25:11.119 with a letter from one of our listeners. 400 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:13.119 Have you ever taken a step of faith with no 401 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:16.839