Do You Care?

Sometimes when people are leaving after a church service, they say,

boy, I wish so-and-so had been here to hear that message.

But I don't want you to do that this morning. I want you to take this message seriously.

How does it apply to me? When I prepare my messages, I look at how is this speaking to me as pastor?

If it is not speaking to me and relating to me and telling me there are some

things that I need to apply it in my own life, then it's not going to speak to you.

So I look at that on a daily basis. And as I, like I said, as I prepare the

sermons, I look for that not so much as what it's in for you, but what's in it for me.

A youth pastor was attending a Special Olympics where handicapped children competed

with tremendous dedication and enthusiasm. One event was the 220-yard dash.

Contestants lined up at the starting line and at the signal started running as fast as they could.

One boy by the name of Andrew quickly took the lead and was soon about 50 yards

ahead of everyone else. As he approached the final turn, he looked back and

saw that his best friend had fallen and hurt himself on the track.

Andrew stopped and looked at the finish line. Then he turned around and looked at his friends.

People were hollowing, friend. People were hollowing, run, Andrew, run.

His name was not Forrest. It was Andrew. But he didn't.

Andrew went back to his friend, helped him up, brushed off the cinders,

and then hand in hand, they crossed the finish line dead last.

But as they did, the people cheered, stood up in a standing ovation and cheered,

because there are some things more important than finishing first.

They realized that Andrew had indeed won the most important race of all.

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, verse 9 and 10, two are better than one.

Ecclesiastes 4:9

If one falls down, his friend can help him up, but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up.

We do fall, or we do get knocked down from time to time, don't we?

And how wonderful it is when we have a friend who cares enough to lift us up

and dust us off and help us to continue on.

In the passage we're going to read this morning, we'll listen to the Apostle

Paul because he is such a good example of a tender and compassionate friend.

In fact, someone has noted that there are more than 100 people specifically

listed as Paul's friends in the New Testament. And one of the reasons Paul had

so many friends was because he was a friend himself.

And so we're going to listen to the reading of Philippians chapter 2, verses 19 through 30.

Philippians 2:19–30

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 will show genuine concern for your welfare,

for everyone looks out for their 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.

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 come soon.

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus,

my brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger,

whom you sent to take care of my needs.

For he longs for all of you, and is distressed because you heard he was ill.

Indeed, he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him,

and not on him only, but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again

you may be glad, and I may have less anxiety.

So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,

because he almost died for the work of Christ.

He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.

So as we look at Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 through 30 this morning,

Philippians 2:19–30

I want us to consider three very important lessons.

The first one is this, we need to cultivate a genuine interest in others.

First lesson we learn is that we need to do this.

In Paul's relationship with Timothy, this is what he did.

In verse 19, 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.

Timothy was a son in Christ to Paul.

He was not a blood son, but he was a son in Christ to Paul.

He was one who Paul had trained and brought up in the faith and sent into the

ministry, laid his hands on him, and sent him into the ministry.

Now, Paul's a missionary, and sometimes missionaries write appeal letters.

So it would have been quite logical for Paul to have written a practical letter

to the Philippians saying, I'm in prison here at Rome.

The conditions are really bad and the food is horrible.

I could really use some glazers from Quick Trip.

So please take up a special offering and send me a care package quickly.

Oh, and a file would be nice too.

But Paul doesn't do that. Instead, he's concerned about them.

So he's sending Timothy to find out how things are going with the Christians

in Philippi, and he wants so much for the news to be good.

Lou Gehrig was the first baseman for the New York Yankees.

He died on June 1, 1941, of ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,

which later was called Lou Gehrig's disease.

The doctors really didn't know how to treat him or treat the disease,

so Lou Gehrig was in the hospital for a long time as they experimented with

different drugs, trying to find one that worked.

Just before he died, Lou Gehrig called his friend Bob Considine.

He said, Bob, I have great news. The boys in the lab have come up with a new

serum, and they're trying it out on 10 of us. It seems to be working well on 9 out of 10.

Bob Considine asked, is it working on you, Lou?

Lou answered, well, no. But 9 out of 10, how do you like those odds?

He was really joyful because the others were being helped.

He was not concerned about his own well-being. He was concerned about others.

That kind of attitude is probably why Lou Gehrig is remembered with such fond

memories because he was such a good friend to everyone he met.

The Apostle Paul was the same way. In Philippians 2, verses 3 and 4,

Philippians 2:3

he writes this, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,

but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Each of you should look not only to your interests, but also to the interests of others.

In other words, be genuinely concerned about everyone else in these days of

vitriol and terrorism and everything else that's going on.

How concerned are we about others? As I talked about the second coming of Christ

earlier, and when I talked about the rapture that supposedly is going to happen

this week, but I don't know.

I just want to be ready. But I thought about that How many times do we think

of all that's going on And we think evil of others We speak evil of others,

I heard and saw A post by a teacher Not from this district, thank God Not even from Wisconsin,

That said I'd rather they be shot Than talk with them Oh folks,

That's horrible When we can't debate and talk And deal with things of life,

I had a friend From high school One of my classmates.

In a dialogue years ago, threatened to stomp me into the ground if I didn't agree with him.

Friends, what are we doing in this life? If we cannot love others,

take others' interests in mind ahead of ourselves, whose God is our God?

That's not in my notes either, but it's really hitting in my spirit these days.

When this message is about thinking and doing for others, taking a genuine interest

in others, are we doing that?

Do you ever ask yourself on Sunday morning, why am I going to church?

Am I going because I feel like I owe a debt to God or I'm trying to pay it back

or because I'm carrying a heavy burden that I hope will be lifted or because

I like the music and the fellowship and even the preaching,

why am I going?

So why should we go? Well, if we are genuinely interested in others,

we'll understand that by being in church every Sunday morning,

when we worship the Lord in unity, it builds up or edifies the rest of the congregation.

The church also becomes a sort of training ground where we learn how to help one another.

We had an email this last week asking, somebody asked if they're not from this

church, not from this area that we know of, but they wanted to be baptized one-on-one in a service,

or privately, because their grandmother said they needed to be baptized to go to heaven.

We do baptisms as a testimony to the entire congregation to lift everyone up.

That's the purpose of all of it. And so when we come to church,

our purpose is to worship the Lord in unity.

Yes, if we wanted to worship him by himself, we don't have to come to church,

but our purpose is to lift each other up in worship of the Lord.

And that extends itself outside of here in service to others who desperately

need Jesus. Does that sound familiar?

So when you come to church, be on the lookout. Maybe you'll find that mother,

whether she's a first-time visitor or a long-time attendee, who has both her

hands full taking care of her children.

Or maybe you're sitting near a guest for the first time.

Introduce yourself and tell them, I'm glad you came. And let them know that

you'd be happy to take them out for lunch or help them in any way you can.

Or when you learn of someone who is having a difficult time,

write them a note and let them know that you'll be praying for them.

Or if you hear of someone in the hospital, go visit them. It doesn't have to be the pastor.

And I thank Jeremiah for going and visiting people in the hospital.

And I don't want to put you on the spot, but thank you very much for doing that.

Visiting people in the hospital who need a visit.

Or if someone you know is struggling with a heavy burden of grief or loss,

sit with them and listen to them.

Share about their grief. People don't care how much you know.

They want to know how much you care. Or maybe there's a shut-in you know who

simply needs someone to come by and visit them over a cup of coffee.

Now, I realize that many of you are already doing that, and most of you,

most of all of us are busy, and I thank you for doing that, and I praise God for you.

But isn't it refreshing to know that we can care for each other without hidden

agendas, to care about each other because you're my brother or you're my sister

in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I love you.

Things happen when you genuinely concern for others. First of all,

you begin to forget your own problems.

How many times do we know people who always bring up all of their own problems

on everybody and aren't thinking of any others?

When we think of others and we lift others up, it takes away from our own problems.

We seldom realize that. We think that when we're having trouble,

we need to do something just for me, something extravagant or indulgent.

But that's not the answer. That's the stuff that addictions are made of.

The Bible teaches us and psychologists are learning that the quickest way to

get out of our troubles is to become involved in helping someone else.

The Iowa, University of Iowa, is the stadium.

The football stadium is right next to the University of Iowa Hospitals.

And the children's wing is on, I think it's the 6th floor.

University, I think it's on the 6th floor. Anyway, after the third quarter of every football game,

the fans in the stand turn and face the hospital and wave at the children who

are standing and looking out the windows watching the game,

and they all wave at them, and there's a prayer for them at the university.

We need to think of others.

The quickest way to have your own spirit lifted out of your own self-bemoaning,

worrying attitude is to encourage others and take the focus off of yourself

and your own perceived needs.

Some of us guys were talking this last Wednesday night about Craig Nelson.

Craig Nelson is a friend of ours who has multiple sclerosis and has been confined

to a wheelchair for, I would say, at least 10 years and for the rest of his life.

It's a degenerative disease. It will continue to degenerate.

He will continue to degenerate until he simply passes away.

Craig was an extremely healthy, energetic, and athletic guy until he was struck down by this disease.

But Craig is more concerned about everyone else's well-being than he is about his own.

He is full of a positive spirit and loves nothing better than to make others

feel better. He is always greeting you with a smile.

Prophet Isaiah knew this truth a long time ago. Isaiah chapter 58 verses 10 through 12 says,

Isaiah 58:10–12

if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the

oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs and strengthen your frame.

So the first lesson we learn from Paul's words is that we need to cultivate

a genuine interest in others.

The second lesson we learn is this. We need to offer sincere encouragement to others.

In verse 20, Paul says, I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.

Paul's talking about Timothy.

Paul had mentored Timothy and watched him grow in his faith.

Now Timothy is an adult and has a ministry of his own.

Paul looks at him and says, I don't know anybody like Timothy.

Well, I know people have said that about me. I don't know anybody else like

him, and thank goodness.

But anyway, in fact, the New American Standard Version translates that verse

to say, I have no one else of kindred spirit.

And Chuck Swindoll points out that the two Greek words used there are words that mean same soul.

Paul's saying Timothy and I have the same soul. We are kindred spirits. We are like-minded.

Now, if we have different levels of friendship, most are casual friendships.

We know each other's names and we greet each other. How are you? I'm fine. How are you?

Neither of us may actually be fine, but we don't feel comfortable really getting

into each other's inner beings.

We really don't want to share, not even so much how we feel.

But we don't really want to know how others are. That's a casual friendship.

To do so would involve commitment and surrender to the other's needs,

and that's a dangerous area.

We might actually have to care for them and not for ourselves. Wow.

Nor do we have this trust level built up to allow us to venture out into the

deep of an intimate relationship. So our friendships remain on the casual level.

It's safer that way. We don't have to see inside them, and we get to continue

to put up the facade in front of us to hide our own inner failings and problems.

But some are close friendships where we enjoy going out and spending time with

each other, doing things together.

It's a deeper relationship, and we share things that we wouldn't normally share with each other.

When we were down in Greenville last time, when we went down there to work on

our house down there, my brother and I went out fishing.

And my brother is five years younger than me. We've always been friends growing

up, even when we wrestled.

But I realized how close my brother's friendship was when we were out fishing

together, how intimate we have gotten over the years. And I thank God for that.

We can have those close relationships with others.

There are few, very few friendships that could be classified as this type of

same-soul friendship that Paul was talking about.

These are the friendships where you're so close to each other that you think

alike and you're motivated by the same things.

It's scary sometimes to be around somebody like that because they think so much

like you, Nancy, that they know what you're going to say before you say it, right?

So I'm convinced that you're really blessed if that same soul friend is your husband or your wife.

That's a very special blessing because you can come home and be who you are.

You don't have to pretend. You're of kindred spirits. You are same soul.

Your love and your understanding is unique between just the two of you.

Paul writes that Timothy is a same soul friend.

Then in verse 21, he says, for everyone looks out for their own interests,

and I repeat this again, not those of Jesus Christ.

I think Paul is presenting a contrast.

He's saying most everybody looks out for themselves, their own interests,

but Timothy is not like anyone else, not like everybody else.

He's special, and he's interested in you and your well-being.

What a unique guy. We all need a friend like Andrew, however,

who will stop what they're doing to pick us up when we've fallen,

dust us off, and hold our hand as we run together to the finish line,

even if it means we don't come in first place.

Friends like that. We need to be a friend like that, someone who will pick others

up when they fall down, brush them off, hold their hand, and go on with them

toward the finish line. What does that mean?

Be there, help them out. If they're in a bind, pick them up.

We need to have those friendships.

And then there's one more lesson. We need to practice an unselfish release.

Verse 25 begins the story of Epaphroditus.

Epaphroditus was a member of the church in Philippi, and the church there was

a strong supporter of the apostle Paul.

So when they learned that Paul was in Prentissan, they sent Epaphroditus to

be with them, to be a source of encouragement and assistance to him.

But Epaphroditus wasn't able to help Paul for very long because he became seriously ill.

In fact, he almost died, as the scripture tells us, probably because they didn't

have quick trip glazers.

The news of Epaphroditus, his illness, got back to Philippi,

and the people there were concerned about him, and Epaphroditus became distressed

about their anxiety for him.

It would have been so easy for Paul to say, well, Timothy is leaving,

and now you want to go too?

What am I supposed to do here in prison all by myself?

Who's going to help me? But instead, Paul writes to the church in Philippi and

says, I'm sending Epaphroditus back to you, and I want you to welcome him and

encourage him because he almost died for the cause of Christ.

A friendship like that is really a friendship that will release.

It isn't a selfish or smothering kind of love. This message is not just for

those parents who need to let go of their children.

Children sometimes for the child's sake they need to

be sent away so that they can learn to provide

them for themselves when a bird especially an eagle is

ready to to kick their eaglets out of the nest they will literally do that they

will push them up over the side of the nest let them plummet and they will swoop

down and pick them up on their back and bring them up back up into the nest.

Over and over and over again until that eaglet begins to understand how to flap

their own wings and go on their own.

Sometimes we need to release and let people go.

This message is also for those who are single and dating. You need to be able

to go and trust others to the Lord's future.

Those who cannot let go usually are the control freaks.

They can't control their own lives. A lot of times the addicts are like this.

They can't control their own lives, so they have to latch onto others and manipulate

others. We need to be able to let go.

When it will help us to grow. I'd like to tell you the story that this is the

end of the story, but really isn't.

Over in 2 Timothy 4, Paul is imprisoned again, and his circumstances are very different this time.

He's in prison again, and he's just gone through his first defense trial.

His friends are not there. Nobody's around him. I don't know where they are.

Maybe they're too far away to get to him. Maybe they're in prison themselves

or dead, or maybe they just got tired of coming to the prison to visit Paul.

Paul's been in prison a lot. So Paul writes these words in 2 Timothy 4,

2 Timothy 4:16

verses 16 and 17, that my first defense, his trial, no one came to my support.

But everyone deserted me.

May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength

so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.

You should read that about how he testified in his court case to Felix and Festus

and those that he was testifying before.

Your best friend, the friend of friends is Jesus.

He will never leave you nor forsake you. And when you fall, he'll pick you up,

dust you off and walk with you hand in hand all the way across the finish line.

And wouldn't it be nice if we could be that trusted and reliable friend for others?

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this time. I pray that you will help each one

of us be transformed into your image and to know for a certain sure that we

are going to be with you when you come again.

But even more so, I pray, Father, that you will help us to be the one or be

part of the answer for those that we love that don't know you to come to you before it's too late.

Use us, Father, as we go and serve a world that desperately needs Jesus. Amen.