WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.190 --> 00:00:04.389 Many people think that happiness is simply a matter of luck. 2 00:00:04.919 --> 00:00:07.360 And they think if you're happy, you're just lucky. You 3 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:11.759 got lucky, you had happy circumstances, and so congratulations for you. 4 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:16.980 But actually, happiness can be learned. It is a quality 5 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:20.829 that you can learn. There are certain qualities that if 6 00:00:20.870 --> 00:00:23.670 you learn them, your happiness in life is going to 7 00:00:23.710 --> 00:00:27.539 go up exponentially. If you don't have these qualities in 8 00:00:27.579 --> 00:00:31.480 your life, your unhappiness will go up exponentially. Now, you 9 00:00:31.500 --> 00:00:33.659 probably never thought about this, but if I mention it 10 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:36.359 to you, you automatically know what I'm talking about because 11 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:39.479 you could instinctively pick out qualities that cause you to 12 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.439 be happy and qualities that cause you to be unhappy. 13 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:44.539 For instance, if we made two columns, the. 14 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:47.700 Happiness column and the unhappiness column, and I said, now, 15 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:55.880 which column would impatience go in? Unhappiness, yeah. Impatient people 16 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:57.380 tend to be unhappy people. 17 00:00:57.399 --> 00:00:58.159 Would you agree with that? 18 00:00:59.159 --> 00:01:02.020 And the more patient you are, if you learn patience, 19 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:04.540 you're gonna be happier in life. That obviously makes sense. 20 00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:08.620 If I said, for instance, cruelty, that would go in 21 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:13.409 the unhappiness column. Kindness would go in the happiness column. 22 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:15.939 This is kind of obvious and we could make an 23 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:21.000 entire list. If I said, if I'm arrogant, I'm going 24 00:01:21.019 --> 00:01:25.420 to tend to be unhappy. And if I am humble, 25 00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:28.579 I'm going to tend to be more happy. So what 26 00:01:28.609 --> 00:01:31.129 we're going to do this weekend as we go through 27 00:01:31.150 --> 00:01:34.969 the book of Philippians is look at four very important 28 00:01:35.049 --> 00:01:39.109 qualities you need to build within your life. Now, happiness 29 00:01:39.170 --> 00:01:41.500 is a serious business. And if you really want to 30 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:45.980 be happy, then you need to build these qualities in 31 00:01:46.019 --> 00:01:50.359 your life. We're starting in chapter two of Philippians, verses 32 00:01:50.359 --> 00:01:53.200 19 down to verse 30. Let me read it to 33 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:57.159 you and then we'll look at it. Paul says this, 34 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:01.799 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to 35 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:04.170 you soon. Now, let me stop here and remind you 36 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:08.550 the background. Paul is in prison in Rome. He's writing 37 00:02:08.569 --> 00:02:11.770 a letter to a church in Greece in a city 38 00:02:11.870 --> 00:02:16.349 called Philippi. So we call it the Philippian letter. Paul 39 00:02:16.409 --> 00:02:18.469 is writing to these church members of a church he 40 00:02:18.530 --> 00:02:23.669 started in Greece and they have been sending him care packages. 41 00:02:23.710 --> 00:02:26.889 They've been, they actually send him an offering while he 42 00:02:26.930 --> 00:02:31.129 was in prison, waiting to appeal his execution before Caesar, 43 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:34.039 who was Nero in Rome at the time. And, uh, 44 00:02:34.849 --> 00:02:37.650 Paul is writing back to the Philippians and this book 45 00:02:37.729 --> 00:02:40.490 is actually a thank you letter. It is a thank 46 00:02:40.509 --> 00:02:44.729 you letter for a financial gift. And in the middle 47 00:02:44.750 --> 00:02:48.669 of this letter, he gives some personal information. So let 48 00:02:48.689 --> 00:02:51.449 me read it again. I hope in the Lord Jesus 49 00:02:51.490 --> 00:02:54.050 to send Timothy to you soon so that I may 50 00:02:54.110 --> 00:02:58.349 be cheered when I receive news about you. I have 51 00:02:58.430 --> 00:03:01.400 no one else like him, this is Timothy, who takes 52 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:04.979 a genuine interest in your welfare. For everybody else looks 53 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:09.060 after his own interest, not those of Jesus Christ. But 54 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:12.939 you know that Timothy has proved himself because as a 55 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:17.210 son with his father, he has served with me in 56 00:03:17.250 --> 00:03:20.289 the work of the gospel, the good news. I hope 57 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:22.590 therefore to send him, Timothy, as soon as I can 58 00:03:22.629 --> 00:03:26.669 see how things go with me. And I'm confident that 59 00:03:26.750 --> 00:03:29.090 I myself will come soon. In other words, I hope 60 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:30.580 I'm gonna get out of jail and come back to 61 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:35.349 see you in Philippi. But he says, I think it 62 00:03:35.409 --> 00:03:41.180 is necessary to also send back to you Epaphroditus. That's 63 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:43.699 a long Greek name for a man, but that's another 64 00:03:43.740 --> 00:03:47.680 guy like Timothy. Epaphroditus, my brother, my fellow worker, and 65 00:03:47.699 --> 00:03:51.280 my fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you 66 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:54.879 sent to me to take care of my needs. When 67 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:58.490 the Philippians sent a financial gift to help Paul while 68 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:00.469 he was in prison in Rome, they sent it to 69 00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:02.569 a guy named Epaphroditus. And he says, I'm gonna send 70 00:04:02.590 --> 00:04:06.590 this guy back to you. for he longs for all 71 00:04:06.629 --> 00:04:09.689 of you. Because this was his home church. And he's 72 00:04:09.740 --> 00:04:13.400 distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed, he was 73 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:15.860 ill and he almost died in trying to get to 74 00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:18.579 Paul on that trip to Rome. But God had mercy 75 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:20.220 on him and not only on him, but also on 76 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:24.750 me to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I am 77 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:28.949 all the more eager to send him back to you 78 00:04:29.490 --> 00:04:31.589 so that when you see him again, you may be 79 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:37.220 glad and I may have less anxiety. So, welcome him 80 00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:42.620 in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, 81 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:47.379 because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking 82 00:04:47.459 --> 00:04:51.879 his life to make up for the help you could 83 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:56.379 not give me. Now, when I read that passage at 84 00:04:56.420 --> 00:04:58.540 a first glance, that doesn't seem to be a very 85 00:04:58.579 --> 00:05:02.160 deep passage. You're going, it sounds like Paul's talking about 86 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:03.220 two guys who are with him. 87 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:05.290 In Rome that he's going to send back to Greece. 88 00:05:06.610 --> 00:05:08.949 And when you read this letter, you might ask, why 89 00:05:08.970 --> 00:05:11.689 in the world did God include that in the Bible? 90 00:05:12.930 --> 00:05:14.350 I mean, why is that even there? 91 00:05:14.449 --> 00:05:17.490 It's just a personal note about two guys, the church 92 00:05:17.529 --> 00:05:20.129 that the Philippi knows and that Paul knows, and they've 93 00:05:20.170 --> 00:05:22.750 helped each other. And you might think, you know, this 94 00:05:22.790 --> 00:05:24.649 is one of those passages in the Bible, just kind 95 00:05:24.689 --> 00:05:26.120 of read over real quick. 96 00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:29.120 And just get to the good parts. And you would 97 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:29.660 be wrong. 98 00:05:30.870 --> 00:05:33.889 You would be wrong. Because the Bible says everything in 99 00:05:33.910 --> 00:05:37.910 the Bible is there to teach us by example. And 100 00:05:38.149 --> 00:05:41.480 in this passage that I just read you are the 101 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:46.319 examples of the four things you must build into your 102 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:50.920 life if you want to really be happy, if you 103 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:56.319 want to live consistently happy. Now, he has an example 104 00:05:56.370 --> 00:05:59.769 of these four choices that leads to happiness in these 105 00:05:59.829 --> 00:06:03.060 two guys named Timothy and Epaphroditus. 106 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:04.720 Now, here's the background. 107 00:06:05.100 --> 00:06:09.000 Paul intends to send two guys who were with him 108 00:06:09.050 --> 00:06:12.230 in Rome while he's there in prison back to the 109 00:06:12.250 --> 00:06:15.009 Philippian church. And he says in verse 19, I'm gonna 110 00:06:15.029 --> 00:06:17.990 send you Timothy. And in verse 25, he says, I'm 111 00:06:18.009 --> 00:06:19.889 gonna send back to you Epaphroditus, who's a. 112 00:06:20.350 --> 00:06:21.050 Member of your church. 113 00:06:22.069 --> 00:06:26.170 And then Paul endorses these two guys as role models. 114 00:06:27.029 --> 00:06:31.040 He says in verse 20, of Timothy, I got nobody 115 00:06:31.100 --> 00:06:31.779 else like him. 116 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:33.319 Now let me just stop right there for a minute. 117 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:36.370 If Paul, the apostle who wrote most of the New 118 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:39.089 Testament says, I don't know anybody like him in the 119 00:06:39.129 --> 00:06:40.250 whole world, you better. 120 00:06:40.110 --> 00:06:41.209 Pay attention to this guy. 121 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:46.310 When Paul says, I don't have anybody in my life 122 00:06:46.389 --> 00:06:50.689 like Timothy, then you better pay attention to him. In fact, 123 00:06:51.029 --> 00:06:52.750 two of the books of the Bible are called 1 124 00:06:52.750 --> 00:06:56.269 and 2 Timothy written to this guy. So he's a 125 00:06:56.310 --> 00:06:58.889 very important character. He says, I don't know anybody like him. 126 00:06:59.389 --> 00:07:01.689 And then he says about the other guy, Epaphroditus, he says, 127 00:07:02.069 --> 00:07:04.170 I want you to welcome him when I send him 128 00:07:04.509 --> 00:07:07.930 and honor him because he nearly died. 129 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:10.029 He nearly died for my sake. 130 00:07:10.850 --> 00:07:13.509 Now, Paul says, and here's the reason why we're looking 131 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:16.300 at it in this series on the habits of happiness. 132 00:07:16.939 --> 00:07:20.300 Paul says, I'm gonna send these guys to you for 133 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:24.879 three reasons. And he says this. He said in verse 19, 134 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:27.779 so that I may be cheered, so that I can 135 00:07:27.819 --> 00:07:30.819 be happy. And then in verse 28 he says, so 136 00:07:30.860 --> 00:07:33.259 that you may be happy, so you may be glad, 137 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:36.379 you may be happy. And then he says in verse 28, 138 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:40.980 so that I may have less anxiety. So whatever these 139 00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:45.110 guys are doing, however they are living, it's a way 140 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:47.509 that's gonna make you glad, it's gonna make me glad, 141 00:07:47.569 --> 00:07:48.709 and it's gonna make us all. 142 00:07:48.589 --> 00:07:49.569 Have less anxiety. 143 00:07:50.490 --> 00:07:53.009 Now as your pastor, I want you to be happy, 144 00:07:53.329 --> 00:07:54.990 I want me to be happy, and I want us 145 00:07:55.029 --> 00:07:56.110 all to have less anxiety. 146 00:07:57.180 --> 00:07:59.160 So we're gonna look at this passage. Does that make sense? 147 00:07:59.180 --> 00:08:02.060 And we're gonna say, what is it about these two 148 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:05.170 guys that are so worthy? They're in the Bible in 149 00:08:05.209 --> 00:08:07.230 a little footnote that looks like kind of like just 150 00:08:07.269 --> 00:08:11.069 a personal, hey, I'm sending these guys. He says in 151 00:08:11.110 --> 00:08:14.509 the Living Bible, these guys will make me happy and 152 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:19.579 lighten my cares. Now what this passage teaches us is 153 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:22.480 that there are four qualities you need to have in 154 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:25.199 your life in order for your happiness to go up 155 00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:27.639 and for the happiness of people around you to go 156 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.060 up to. And the first thing that you have to 157 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:32.519 learn is this. You're gonna have to learn, write this down, 158 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:38.299 to shift the focus away from myself. That is the 159 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:42.399 starting point for all happiness. I must shift the focus 160 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:47.110 away from myself. I have to care about more than 161 00:08:47.210 --> 00:08:50.309 just me. I've gotta care about the needs of those 162 00:08:50.389 --> 00:08:52.750 around me. 163 00:08:52.809 --> 00:08:55.389 164 00:08:55.429 --> 00:08:59.450 If I truly want 165 00:08:59.470 --> 00:09:01.809 to be happy in life, I've got to move the 166 00:09:01.850 --> 00:09:05.549 focus off myself. Now, Paul gives Timothy as an example 167 00:09:05.570 --> 00:09:08.450 of this. In verse 20 and 21, he says this. 168 00:09:10.009 --> 00:09:14.730 I have nobody else like him who takes a genuine 169 00:09:14.870 --> 00:09:20.110 interest in your welfare for everybody else looks out for. 170 00:09:20.009 --> 00:09:22.690 His own interest. Would you say that's true today of 171 00:09:22.750 --> 00:09:23.330 most people? 172 00:09:23.429 --> 00:09:27.240 Everybody looks out for their own interest? Not that many 173 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:29.980 people are looking after your interest. Could you name the 174 00:09:30.039 --> 00:09:32.720 people who are looking after your interest? Not many. Most 175 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:37.879 people are looking after their own interest, not yours. And 176 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:41.370 as naturally, I tend to look at my own interest. 177 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:43.110 I don't tend to look at your interest. I don't 178 00:09:43.149 --> 00:09:45.070 get up in the morning and think, hmm, I wonder 179 00:09:45.110 --> 00:09:48.320 if you're having a hard time today. No, I'm always 180 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:50.919 thinking about me. You tend to think about you. Paul says, 181 00:09:50.980 --> 00:09:54.149 I've got nobody like this guy because he actually takes 182 00:09:54.190 --> 00:09:57.330 a genuine interest in you, not simply in himself. Everybody 183 00:09:57.389 --> 00:09:59.509 else looks out for his own interest. And notice in 184 00:09:59.549 --> 00:10:03.440 that phrase, there, he says, no one else, no one 185 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:06.519 else is like, in other words, unselfish people are very, 186 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:11.500 very rare. Nobody else is like him. He says, who 187 00:10:11.539 --> 00:10:14.320 takes a genuine interest. There are many people who fake 188 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:17.620 interest in you, It's so funny, sometimes I go to 189 00:10:17.659 --> 00:10:22.100 these parties or these important diplomatic events and people are 190 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:23.620 standing there talking to you and they've got one of 191 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:26.779 these little, you know, toaster things and a drink in 192 00:10:26.820 --> 00:10:29.179 their hand. And they're talking to you, but the whole 193 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:30.879 time they're looking over your shoulder like, is there anybody 194 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:35.250 else more important I should be talking to? They're pretending 195 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:37.350 to take an interest in me, but they're not really 196 00:10:37.389 --> 00:10:39.669 interested in me. They're looking over, who else could I 197 00:10:39.750 --> 00:10:44.470 talk to instead of this guy? because they're pretending that. 198 00:10:45.409 --> 00:10:49.789 He says, he takes a genuine interest. Good News translation says, 199 00:10:49.830 --> 00:10:53.610 he genuinely cares about you. Others care only about themselves. 200 00:10:54.169 --> 00:10:55.950 And then I want you to circle the phrase, it says, 201 00:10:56.789 --> 00:11:01.149 looks out. Everyone else looks out for his own interest. 202 00:11:01.169 --> 00:11:03.570 Circle that phrase, looks out. What we're talking about here 203 00:11:03.610 --> 00:11:08.230 is a matter of focus. The first key to happiness 204 00:11:08.690 --> 00:11:11.529 is you gotta change your focus. You have to shift 205 00:11:11.610 --> 00:11:16.730 your focus away from yourself onto other people. 206 00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:20.850 You gotta look out for others. Now, do you normally 207 00:11:20.889 --> 00:11:21.190 do that? 208 00:11:21.289 --> 00:11:24.490 Not normally. That's something you have to learn to do. 209 00:11:24.990 --> 00:11:28.389 When you walk into a room, you're not normally thinking, 210 00:11:28.669 --> 00:11:31.149 who in this room needs my help? You walk into 211 00:11:31.169 --> 00:11:34.110 the room, look in and think, how do I look? 212 00:11:36.350 --> 00:11:38.889 That's what you do. You walk in the room and go, 213 00:11:38.950 --> 00:11:41.960 how do I look? Am I put together just right? 214 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:46.799 And you have to intentionally train yourself to do the opposite, 215 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:51.639 to shift the focus away from myself. The Phillips translation 216 00:11:51.659 --> 00:11:55.649 of this verse says, people aren't interested in you. They're 217 00:11:55.870 --> 00:12:00.769 all wrapped up in their own affairs. Circle that phrase, 218 00:12:00.889 --> 00:12:04.710 wrapped up. For those of you who are single adults, 219 00:12:04.750 --> 00:12:08.309 let me just give you a little fatherly advice. It's 220 00:12:08.350 --> 00:12:11.529 better to sit at home without a date, then go 221 00:12:11.570 --> 00:12:17.269 date somebody who's all wrapped up in themselves. Single women, 222 00:12:17.769 --> 00:12:24.720 a man wrapped up in himself is no gift. Guys, 223 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:28.980 a woman wrapped up in herself is no gift. He says, 224 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.580 they're wrapped up in their own affairs, so they're not caring. 225 00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:36.299 They're not looking out for the needs of others. Now, 226 00:12:36.460 --> 00:12:38.429 I think confession's good for the soul. I have to 227 00:12:38.470 --> 00:12:43.440 admit to you that it saddens me how many times 228 00:12:43.460 --> 00:12:48.080 I have missed the needs around me of people that 229 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:52.700 I love. I just totally missed them because I wasn't 230 00:12:52.740 --> 00:12:59.419 paying attention. I just wasn't paying attention. I wasn't looking out. 231 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:03.279 I hadn't shifted the focus from me to the others 232 00:13:03.470 --> 00:13:07.370 in the room. And when I wasn't looking out for 233 00:13:07.389 --> 00:13:11.590 their needs, I missed their needs. And that grieves me 234 00:13:11.629 --> 00:13:15.799 a lot Philippians 2, 4, we looked at this verse 235 00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:17.639 last week, but I love it in the message paraphrase. 236 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:21.120 It says here, don't be so obsessed with getting your 237 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:25.629 own advantage. Forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand. 238 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:28.690 If you did that, you think you'd be happier? Yes, 239 00:13:28.730 --> 00:13:33.049 you would. Yes, you would. You see, this isn't easy 240 00:13:33.090 --> 00:13:37.169 to do because everything in our culture and everything in 241 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:42.850 our nature teaches us to be self-centered. And America is 242 00:13:42.909 --> 00:13:45.940 becoming more and more self-centered. I read a report this 243 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:50.960 week in a psychology, a scientific journal that said they 244 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:56.080 studied 1 million books in print over the last 200 245 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:00.460 years in American history. And they compared the words that 246 00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:01.970 were used then and the words that are used now. 247 00:14:02.370 --> 00:14:10.429 And the words that have increased in number today are I, me, my, choice, unique, 248 00:14:12.809 --> 00:14:16.600 These words are being overused today. Words you don't hear 249 00:14:16.659 --> 00:14:22.080 much today are responsibility and prayer. Okay, those are words 250 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:25.740 that were used a lot in the past. We're increasingly 251 00:14:25.779 --> 00:14:30.389 becoming more self-centered. Number two, the second thing you're gonna 252 00:14:30.409 --> 00:14:32.990 need to learn to be happy is this. If you 253 00:14:33.009 --> 00:14:36.190 wanna be happy, you're gonna have to become someone that 254 00:14:36.230 --> 00:14:41.710 people trust. You're going to have to become someone that 255 00:14:41.789 --> 00:14:47.009 people trust. Proverbs 13, 15 says, those who can't be 256 00:14:47.129 --> 00:14:51.799 trusted are on the road to ruin. Now, it's really 257 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:56.600 obvious that the more people trust you, the happier you're 258 00:14:56.620 --> 00:15:00.820 gonna be. And if people don't trust you, you're not 259 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:05.269 gonna be happy. If nobody trusts you, you're living a 260 00:15:05.389 --> 00:15:10.629 pretty miserable life. So, Here's another quality you can learn. 261 00:15:11.009 --> 00:15:15.269 If you learn to be trustworthy, you learn to be reliable, 262 00:15:15.330 --> 00:15:18.669 you learn to be consistent, you learn to be dependable, 263 00:15:19.049 --> 00:15:21.090 and you develop that quality in your life, you're gonna 264 00:15:21.110 --> 00:15:23.860 be a whole lot happier than people who aren't worthy 265 00:15:23.889 --> 00:15:27.860 of trust. If you want to be happy, you've got 266 00:15:28.009 --> 00:15:33.899 to become somebody that people trust. Now again, Paul uses 267 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:37.549 Timothy as an example of this. Verse 22. He says, 268 00:15:37.690 --> 00:15:43.909 Timothy has proven himself because as a son with his father, 269 00:15:44.350 --> 00:15:48.549 he served with me in the work of the gospel. Now, again, 270 00:15:48.750 --> 00:15:50.730 he's giving this guy as an example. He says, I've 271 00:15:50.750 --> 00:15:53.710 watched this guy in action. I've seen this Timothy. I've 272 00:15:53.750 --> 00:15:56.289 seen him in all kinds of circumstances. And he says, 273 00:15:56.350 --> 00:16:00.110 this guy, Timothy, he's the real deal. He's the real McCoy. 274 00:16:00.429 --> 00:16:07.860 He's authentic. He's genuine. He's reliable. You can count on 275 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:12.110 this guy. God's word translation says, you know what kind 276 00:16:12.169 --> 00:16:15.470 of person Timothy proved to be. Do people know what 277 00:16:15.529 --> 00:16:22.029 kind of person you really are? And are you trustworthy? 278 00:16:22.409 --> 00:16:27.039 If you're not, then you're not very happy because the 279 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.950 more people trust you, the more your happiness goes up. 280 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:35.360 Now he says about this guy, Timothy, he's proven trustworthy. 281 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:41.080 He has been proven. He has been proved over time, tested, verified, 282 00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:41.899 checked out. 283 00:16:43.259 --> 00:16:45.590 He is credible. He is creditable. 284 00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:48.049 You know, anytime you go to a bank for a loan, 285 00:16:49.470 --> 00:16:51.509 before they loan you any money, they're going to do 286 00:16:51.570 --> 00:16:55.769 a thing on you called a credit check, a credit check. 287 00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:00.980 And they're gonna say, are you worthy of being trusted 288 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:06.609 with credit? Are you creditable? Do you pay your bills back? 289 00:17:07.380 --> 00:17:09.829 Are you paying them back on time? Do you have 290 00:17:09.869 --> 00:17:12.450 a track record of keeping your word? Do you have 291 00:17:12.490 --> 00:17:15.369 a track record of doing what you say? Can you 292 00:17:15.470 --> 00:17:17.849 be dependent on that if we loan you this money, 293 00:17:18.430 --> 00:17:20.410 you're not gonna flake out on us and we're gonna 294 00:17:20.470 --> 00:17:22.950 lose it. They do a credit check on you to 295 00:17:23.009 --> 00:17:28.170 see if you are credible or credit worthy. Now I 296 00:17:28.210 --> 00:17:31.509 want to tell you a little secret. Everybody around you 297 00:17:32.809 --> 00:17:35.970 is doing a credit check on your life every moment 298 00:17:36.009 --> 00:17:41.529 of your life. Not just the banks, but everybody around 299 00:17:41.589 --> 00:17:45.569 you is constantly doing a credit check on you. Are 300 00:17:45.630 --> 00:17:48.769 you what you say you are? Are you the real deal? 301 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:52.140 Or are you just some phony baloney, you wear a 302 00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:54.279 mask here and wear a mask over here? You know, 303 00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:57.029 that's what they used to do in the Greek theater. 304 00:17:57.650 --> 00:18:00.029 One actor would play many parts and he'd come out 305 00:18:00.049 --> 00:18:02.529 and he'd wear a mask and he'd play a part, 306 00:18:02.619 --> 00:18:04.150 and then he'd go back behind the stage. 307 00:18:04.329 --> 00:18:05.470 This is in the days of Plato. 308 00:18:05.730 --> 00:18:07.630 He'd get another mask, he'd come out, and he'd wear 309 00:18:07.670 --> 00:18:10.089 that mask, and he'd play a part, and he'd go back. 310 00:18:10.289 --> 00:18:13.190 And so he's wearing, he's being different roles to different 311 00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:16.529 groups of people, playing different parts. Same guy, but wearing 312 00:18:16.549 --> 00:18:19.380 different masks. And the word for that guy in Greek 313 00:18:19.450 --> 00:18:25.160 is called a hypocritos. That's where we get the word hypocrite. 314 00:18:25.910 --> 00:18:29.250 Hypocrite means somebody who he acts this way on the 315 00:18:29.269 --> 00:18:31.650 golf course and this way with his kids and this 316 00:18:31.710 --> 00:18:33.970 way at church and that way with his wife. And 317 00:18:34.089 --> 00:18:38.329 you don't really know. It's what you see, what you get. 318 00:18:39.509 --> 00:18:42.309 He's saying, you know the kind of person Timothy was. 319 00:18:42.349 --> 00:18:44.630 He proved, he was checked out. He got a credit 320 00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:48.210 reference done. Now, if you're gonna be happy, you gotta 321 00:18:48.230 --> 00:18:52.509 learn to be consistent. You gotta learn to be dependable, trustworthy, reliable. 322 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:58.549 How do you develop a reputation for reliability. Two things, 323 00:18:58.890 --> 00:19:02.910 write them down. The Bible tells us. Number one, live 324 00:19:03.470 --> 00:19:06.900 with integrity. Live with integrity. And what I mean by 325 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:10.960 that is make sure that my actions match my words. 326 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:14.359 I don't talk a good game and then live another 327 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:18.660 different way. No, he says, what you see is what 328 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:22.910 you get. Integrity doesn't mean you're perfect. If perfection was 329 00:19:22.970 --> 00:19:26.730 required for integrity, none of us have integrity because nobody's perfect. 330 00:19:27.390 --> 00:19:30.930 We're all flawed. But integrity means what you see is 331 00:19:30.990 --> 00:19:33.769 what you get. It's the real deal. Make sure my 332 00:19:33.950 --> 00:19:39.950 actions match my words. Proverbs 25, 13 says this, reliable 333 00:19:40.009 --> 00:19:47.539 friends who do what they say are like cool drinks 334 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:49.839 in sweltering heat, refreshing. 335 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:51.319 Isn't that a great verse? 336 00:19:52.359 --> 00:19:56.359 Can people count on you? Do you flip-flop? Are you two-faced? 337 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.640 You're wishy-washy. Look at the opposite. Proverbs 25, 19 says this. 338 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:05.039 Putting confidence in an unreliable person is like chewing with 339 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:07.509 a toothache or walking on a broken foot. 340 00:20:09.329 --> 00:20:11.269 I like that. What is he saying? 341 00:20:12.710 --> 00:20:18.990 The greatest ability is dependability. It's more important than any 342 00:20:19.029 --> 00:20:23.650 other ability in life. The greatest ability is dependability. Are 343 00:20:23.710 --> 00:20:27.009 you dependable? Are you credit worthy? Are you worthy of trust? 344 00:20:27.069 --> 00:20:28.970 If you are, then you're going to be a happy 345 00:20:29.009 --> 00:20:31.859 person because the more people who trust in you, the 346 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:35.039 more happy you're going to be. The greatest ability is dependability. 347 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:39.309 Proverbs 28, 20 says, honest people will lead a full, 348 00:20:39.789 --> 00:20:42.430 happy life. You wanna be happy? Honest people will lead 349 00:20:42.450 --> 00:20:45.329 a full, happy life. Number two, not only do I 350 00:20:45.390 --> 00:20:49.150 live with integrity, I keep my promises. This is the 351 00:20:49.210 --> 00:20:52.029 other way you learn this second quality, keep my promises. 352 00:20:52.410 --> 00:20:56.920 Psalm 15, four talks about, these people always do what 353 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:59.880 they promise, no matter how much it may cost them. 354 00:21:01.630 --> 00:21:03.750 I actually like this verse better in the King James 355 00:21:04.130 --> 00:21:08.930 English where it says, God blesses the person who sweareth 356 00:21:09.210 --> 00:21:12.740 to his own hurt. Sweareth to his own, what does 357 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:15.839 that mean? He means you keep a promise and then 358 00:21:15.880 --> 00:21:17.500 you find out it's gonna cost me more than I 359 00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:19.059 thought it was gonna cost me, but I still keep 360 00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:22.400 my promise. I said I'd do it for that price 361 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:25.029 and I'm gonna take a bath on it, but I'm 362 00:21:25.049 --> 00:21:29.250 gonna do it because I keep my word. and I'm 363 00:21:29.289 --> 00:21:34.539 gonna keep my promise no matter how much it costs. So, 364 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:38.099 if I want to be happy, then I've gotta first 365 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:41.700 shift the focus away from myself, it's not about me, 366 00:21:42.069 --> 00:21:45.930 and second, I've got to become somebody that people trust, 367 00:21:46.029 --> 00:21:50.029 and we see those from Timothy. Now, Paul is a superstar. 368 00:21:50.630 --> 00:21:52.410 I mean, this is the guy who wrote most of 369 00:21:52.450 --> 00:21:56.019 the New Testament part of the Bible. Paul is a superstar, 370 00:21:56.400 --> 00:22:00.720 yet Paul knows that we get more done by working together. 371 00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:04.039 So here's the third skill that you gotta learn in 372 00:22:04.099 --> 00:22:06.380 order to be happy in life, and that is this. 373 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:13.099 Number three, learn how to work well with others. And 374 00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:17.480 you know what? They don't teach you that anymore. And 375 00:22:17.539 --> 00:22:20.529 if parents don't teach their kids this, they may not 376 00:22:20.609 --> 00:22:23.950 learn it in school, You must learn how to work well. 377 00:22:24.170 --> 00:22:26.410