Symptoms of a Healthy Disciple

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for the beautiful special music. After hearing about hardened hearts, now we hear about change my heart. So I certainly appreciate the beautiful words and certainly God working in our lives. So thanks for all the effort that made that such a beautiful piece as praising and honoring God and certainly building us up as well.

One thing I might mention before I get into the sermon, as you are probably aware of, we sent out some emails this last week. One of our dear members died this last week, Beverly Norris, normally attended in the morning. But just wanted to remind you that her funeral is coming up this coming Friday at two o'clock. There's going to be kind of a graveside service at Spring Grove Cemetery. So I just wanted to remind you of that. I'll probably send out another email just to remind you if you'd like to attend. They do have some space. They're a little bit limited because of all the COVID regulations and things like that. But I just wanted to remind you about that fact as well. So appreciate your prayers, especially for her daughter who also attends with us, Tracy Evans, and appreciate your prayers for her as well. Yeah, it sure seems that this coronavirus has been on our minds and continues to be. Has anybody thought about their health lately? Should I be here or not? Should I go there and do that? Or maybe I can't visit them because of these rules and regulations. I think the coronavirus has got us all focused on health. You probably noticed that as you come into services, we're taking temperatures and we're wearing masks. And it seems that you can't get away from hearing about the warnings about coronavirus or the symptoms that are out there. And if you know some of the symptoms for the coronavirus, it seems like it's on the news and notifications on my phone all the time. So how do you know that you're healthy? Well, I don't have fever. I don't have chills. I don't have a cough. And I can still taste my food. So there's a few of the things that I know, okay, I think I'm all right for right now. That's okay. But what I began to think about over the last couple of weeks is a connection between the symptoms of COVID-19 and the symptoms of a healthy disciple of Jesus Christ. Are there specific symptoms of spiritual health? I mean, what does a spiritual Christian… what symptoms do they have? What are the signs of that? Or when you think about it more collectively, what about a healthy congregation? What does a healthy congregation look like? Well, fortunately, God gives us some guidance in that. And specifically, one New Testament letter points very specifically to spiritual health. And that's the book of Philippians. If you want to make your way over to the beginning of the book of Philippians, Paul wrote a letter to God's people in Philippi. And he had, I think we could say, a unique relationship with God's people there. And as we read through this letter, it gives us a model of how we can determine if we're spiritually healthy.

Now, as you consider the letter to the Philippians, it is unique in another way. Oftentimes, Paul writes letters to various churches of God, and he has to deal with correcting problems. He has to deal with some doctrinal issues. He may have to deal with correcting certain sins and things like that. But this letter to the Philippians is a little bit different. Instead, he talks about many different things. First, identifying himself here in the book of Philippians as a servant, or some translations say, a slave. Here's Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ. He says that right off the bat. And so he's addressing them a little bit differently, more as a friend, more as a confidant, more as someone they have a relationship with, and one where he talks more in personal tones of, you know, how are you doing? Here's my circumstances. Here's what's happening, and I want to encourage you. And so he begins this letter in that fashion, and in fact uses the congregation in Philippi as a model, as an example for us. And so I thought it might be helpful this afternoon to examine the symptoms of a healthy disciple through the eyes of the Philippians, and then also to find out how can we apply these specific principles to our lives. And so Paul's writings are going to cause us to ask ourselves, do I have the symptoms of a healthy disciple of Christ? Is my congregation spiritually healthy? And in fact, what ways can I improve? How can I change? How can I grow? How can I contribute? How can I serve to be the kind of example that Paul inspires us to be through God's inspiration? Well, if you're there in the beginning of Philippians, we can begin to see one of the first symptoms of spiritual health. I know as we've considered all of these symptoms of the coronavirus out there, we've come to find that at least science is saying right now. If you've been exposed between 2 and 14 days, most often you'll contract COVID-19 and then begin to experience some of the symptoms. Now, one of the first symptoms they talk about many experience right off the bat is fatigue. Fatigue and then muscle aches or body aches seem to be one of those early signs of COVID-19.

Now, one of the early signs of a true Christian, Paul talks about here right at the beginning of Philippians, chapter 1. Look at verse 3. As he begins his letter, he says, "'I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.'" Yeah, we might read that and go, huh, ho, hum, huh. Was not saying much there, is he? Well, wait a second. There's more here than you might think, even if we stop after just that little bit of a verse. Because that first symptom that he's describing, he's saying, if you're spiritually healthy, you think of others often.

You think of others often. And this is a particularly amazing statement by the apostle Paul because you know what his circumstances are right now? As he writes this letter, he is a man in prison. He's not a free man. He is awaiting the possibility of death. And yet, while he's in those terrible circumstances, where do his thoughts go? Where is his mind focused? In fact, continually, he says, thoughts of God's people came to his mind and just didn't stay there. He immediately brought those thoughts before God. And he took those thoughts in prayers of thankfulness for the Philippians. Now, that's also interesting because when you consider the timing of this, Paul's in prison, and what happened to so many of those who had been followers? They deserted. They left the ranks. They went away. But the Philippians weren't like that. They cared for Paul. They prayed for Paul. They supported Paul. They supported him in his journeys. They were a faithful church. And when we compare that to what happens normally, what normally happens when we go through difficult times? I think it's fair to say the typical reaction of people when we go through a rough patch, when we go through a trying time, what do we think about? Well, I think about my challenges. I think about my trial. I think about my difficulties, my problems. And so we oftentimes become self-focused, self-centered when we're going through difficulties and concerns and hard circumstances. But that wasn't true of the Apostle Paul. Instead, he set us a different example. Despite the fact of being imprisoned, what's on his mind? What is he thinking? Well, he says here, I'm constantly thinking about God's people, the congregation in Philippi, and he's thanking God for them. And so Paul sets this amazing example for us. I mean, when we think about our thoughts, okay, do I often think about the brethren and then thank God for them? Is that my practice? Because that is a symptom. That is a sign of a healthy disciple of Christ. And of course, it wasn't just Paul that set that example. The ultimate example, Jesus Christ set a phenomenal example for us. Now, hold your place here in Philippians because we'll come back a number of times throughout the sermon. But if you'll turn with me over to Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2, we find the example of Christ. And so we find this example written about in Hebrews chapter 12, right near the beginning of this chapter. Hebrews 12.2 discusses Jesus Christ and how we need to be like Him. We need to focus on His example. So Hebrews 12.2 starts like this. It says, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We want to be faithful people. We want to be healthy Christians. We better look to Christ. And then it says something interesting. It says, who, Christ, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. I have to say, huh? Wait a second. What joy would death on a cross be? What kind of joy is that set before Him? You got to be kidding me. That couldn't have possibly been anything joyful. Why would it say something like that? For the joy that was set before Him, He says, despising the shame, sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. I mean, imagine this, this joy set before Christ. Certainly couldn't have been the crucifixion. Couldn't have been, you know, the beating that He took before that.

What was this joy? And in this time, when He was under duress, this hour of trial and testing for Christ, where were His thoughts focused? Now, that's what this joy that was set before Him is talking about. He was thinking about the Kingdom of God. I think we could say He was consumed in His thoughts for those that He would spend eternity with in the family of God. That was something joyful. That Christ would ultimately, as God in the flesh, pay the penalty for all human sin. That's a joyful thing. That ultimately, He would make peace between God and man. Ultimately, He would be the way to salvation, the way of hope. He would be the only way for us to be a part of the plan of God for eternity. He would be the mediator of the new covenant. That's a joyful thing. Become the Savior of all mankind and ultimately secure that plan. Make it absolutely sure that God is going to bring His government to mankind. That is amazingly joyful. That is a phenomenal event that Christ could look beyond the present, could look beyond the moment, could look beyond the trial and the suffering and the shame of it all to see what really was important.

And you could probably say that Christ was consumed with thinking about you.

That's what was on Christ's mind. And like Paul wrote to the Philippians, we need to ask ourselves, do I continually think of others? Is that what occupies my thinking? Do we think of members of our congregation? Do they take up my thoughts? And do those thoughts, not just once in a while come to my mind, are they thoughts that keep coming back over and over, even though I'm in the middle of a busy week. I've got a lot going on. I've got things I've got to do. I've got people I've got to see. I've got places I've got to go. Well, what occupies my thinking? And do those thoughts about our dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do those thoughts move us and motivate us to thank God and bring it before the Almighty? Now, you might think, okay, what kind of thoughts am I supposed to have?

Well, earlier in the book of Hebrews, we get a little bit of an idea. Hebrews 10, verse 24, just over a couple of pages. Here we have a little indication on the kinds of thoughts that should be prevalent in our thinking. Take a look what's written here in verse 24 of Hebrews 10. He says, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

Now, I don't think the author just haphazardly chose his words here. I think very specifically wrote, consider one another. And we might think, okay, well, that just means, let it come to our mind. But it's more than that. If you were to look at the Greek meaning behind this word, consider, yes, it can mean to think of or perceive something. But the word really takes it to the next level, because it focuses on fixing our eyes or fixing and focusing our minds on something. When we consider something, here in this case, we consider each other, we fixate on it, we focus on it. It consumes us in that way. And so when we're told to really focus on each other, to stir each other up to love and good works, it gives us an idea of what we need to do. And so can we do this, this coming week? Can we let this occupy our thoughts and make it our goal to consistently think about how we can do these things, how we can help each other, how we can love God more, and exhibit that love, how we can love each other more, and how we can help each other to grow?

I mean, no doubt, these are tough times that we could say, well, it's really hard to do that because we're kind of separated. We're not able to be together the way that we like. I don't know if I can do that. Well, do we use that as an excuse? Paul didn't use prison as an excuse. I don't think we can. And so our minds have to be aware and conscious of our brethren and their lives. And how many times are we told about that throughout Scripture? I mean, we know this. We know this. We're told, well, if there's someone that's rejoicing, what do we do? Well, 1 Corinthians 12, 26 says, well, I'm thrilled about that too. This is great. We can celebrate together. We rejoice with them because that's on our mind. We know them. We understand their situation. And we love what they've been benefiting. It's been a great thing.

And yet when someone's sick or they're hurting, we recognize that. We pray for them. And when they're mourning, we weep with them. We identify. And we understand that. And so we suffer right along with each other. I mean, if we're focused on it, if we recognize it, if we've really taken it to heart, and if we've consistently thought about these things, constantly having them on our minds, in how we can help and how we could stir and how we could help others, love God and see the big picture. You see, in my mind, there's no doubt this is a symptom. This is a sign of a healthy disciple of Christ. Because when we think of each other often, is there going to be anything that results from that? Yeah, I think that's what we're seeing in these passages. It's going to result in serving each other and helping each other and identifying with each other. And even in the littlest, tiniest little things that maybe don't seem to matter that much. Yet they do. Those simple acts of service are really an act of love. And so, can you write a letter?

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter, didn't he? More than one! It's a various congregation. I know it's kind of out of style to write anything, but could we jot down a note? I think it's possible. Can we be encouraging to others? Could we check in with them? Wow, we've made it really easy here in Cincinnati, haven't we? Get out that instant directory. Have you done that? There they are! That's my brother. I haven't seen him for a long time. I wonder how he's doing. I can press the phone number on the app and it'll call him. Wow, how easy can it be? Okay, I don't have time for a phone call, but I could press text and just send a text and say, hey, I was thinking of you. Would that be encouraging? Would that let someone know and maybe lift them up to say, hey, somebody somebody is actually thinking somebody missed me. Somebody recognized I haven't been there. And there's some of us that haven't been here for months. And it's for good reason. They've got health issues. They've got challenges that they've been going through.

But we can do those simple things. You have a little Skype or a little Zoom. Get to know each other better and then pray for them. Take their situation before God. We're just remembering them because we know if we don't do these things, we have that tendency to be unhealthy spiritually. And of course, if you think about the COVID connection in that, yeah, COVID symptoms often talk about body aches and fever. But spiritually, we should have a different kind of aching. We should be aching and craving and yearning to be together, to want the best for our brothers and sisters, really thinking about, all right, I'm not gonna let this COVID thing get in the way. We can still fellowship. We can still talk. We can still text. We can still stir each other up to love and good works. I can stand out on the sidewalk and still fellowship with those that aren't able to come. We can do those things. And so it's possible. And I think that's one of those symptoms that Paul is talking about. This is what we have to do if we're truly claiming to be spiritually healthy. Now, there's also another COVID symptom that's often prevalent as well. One of the ones that you've perhaps heard about is the symptom that you have an inability to wake up or stay awake. Sometimes people just want to sleep and they had a hard time staying awake. Sometimes when I'm driving, it's kind of like that, a hard time staying awake. I remember back in the day, I had a dear friend who was a truck driver, did these long haul trucker things and take stuff from one end of the country to the other. And I don't know how they do that. They get tired and worn out, and yet they put in these amazing hours. So one time I remember asking, well, how do you stay awake? And he said, I have the perfect way to stay awake. He said, really? Well, what is it? He says, well, I always carry a $100 bill with me.

And he says, when I start to get tired, it's the middle of the night, I pull out that bill, and I put it in my left hand, and then I roll down the window and stick my hand out the window.

I'm not going to lose that bill, so I'm going to hang on and stay awake. I thought that was pretty funny. But yeah, I guess I'd stay awake if you gave me the $100 bill as well.

Well, this next symptom ties in with that concept of staying awake. And Paul intimated that in verse 3 as we look at verse 4 in Philippians 1. Head back there, if you will, to Philippians 1, verse 4. Take a look at this symptom of a healthy disciple of Jesus Christ. He says, here in a way, you're healthy if you move those thoughts into praying often for others. You see, if you're healthy, you pray for others often. Philippians 1, verse 4. Paul says, always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all with joy. Now, if you read this in the NIV, he says, in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. So all, all, mentioned a couple of times, all my prayers for all of you. CEV says, when I pray for you, I make mention of it and it makes me happy. And we see the results even for him personally. Or if you were to read verse 4, take a look at it again. In the message, it says this, every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I like the way that's worded. I think of somebody and boom, the trigger goes off and I've got to pray about it. I've got to talk to God about it. I've got to remind God about them because they've come to my mind. And when we look at Paul's example, prayer is paramount. It's right up there at the top. And he constantly talks about praying for the people of God. But he just doesn't say, well, do it. He gives us examples of how, how that looks in our life. Now, hold your place here and go over to Romans 1. In Romans 1, verse 9, Paul intimates how this can look in a healthy disciples life for us. He maps it out here. And as he begins this section beginning in verse 9, Romans chapter 1, verse 9, he begins in an interesting way. He starts this section, verse 9, by saying, for God is my witness, which is kind of scary thought. When God witnesses things in my life, I'm not sure they're always very good. But in this example, Paul's using that to show how this is absolutely truth. There's no doubting this. God's the witness here. He says, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son. And here's the point, that without ceasing, I make mention of you always in my prayers, making a request if by some means now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. That's also interesting. Here's Paul writing to God's church in Rome. And he says, God knows this to be absolutely true. I'm praying for you without stopping, without ceasing, and I'm taking you to God all the time in my prayers. You know what? But Paul never met these people. He never visited Rome. He never was there personally.

But that didn't stop Paul from praying for these people. He prayed for the church there. And God was witness to how he constantly prayed for them. And he says all the time. So it wasn't a, well, yeah, it came to mind so I prayed. It wasn't an occasional thing, or once in a while, or well, if I happen to think about it, I might talk to God about it. No! He's saying here, this is a constant thing. Occasionally? Nope. This was consistent. He came before God and brought those congregations and those members by name. Now, if he would have had that instant directory, I suppose he'd go right through it and went, yeah, I'm going to pray. I'm going to move down this list and pray for people every day. Pray for my brothers and my sisters. And he tells them how he's praying. In fact, throughout his various letters, we find all kinds of examples of that very thing. If we were to study the book of Ephesians, he writes to God's church in Ephesus and he prayed that they would have the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know God more. So he's praying very specifically about certain things for God's people. He prayed that they would be strengthened in the inner man. That's a pretty cool prayer that he brings before God on behalf of his fellow Christians. He prayed for the Ephesians that they know the height and the depth and the width and the breadth of the love of Jesus Christ. Now, of course, he also talked to the Colossians and as he wrote to the church in Colossae, he prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of God and that they'd walk worthy of the Lord and bear fruit. You see, those are very specific things. You want to know what to pray about? Wow, there's a great list. There's a great list of things that are mapped out for us right there. So we don't have to wonder and think that I got to come up with something on my own to pray about. No, it's right there. And to the Philippians that we've been reading about, he prayed that their love would continue to grow and they grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God, that they'd learn to discern what was best. I mean, those are wonderful things that that we can pray about. And certainly, I think it shows that there is a need that we pray, but he also points out the way to pray, how we can pray for others. And one of the things that kind of takes me back a little bit, it's very interesting when you read through Paul's epistles that we don't see much of the apostle Paul praying for wants or praying for physical needs. He prays for God's love to grow in them. He prays that they'd be filled with God's wisdom and knowledge. He prayed that they'd be filled with a deeper relationship of knowing God better.

That doesn't mean the physical doesn't matter. I mean, it certainly does. We pray about our daily bread. Certainly, we're giving that example. Physical matters. We're physical beings. I'm physical. I need some physical things. No doubt about that. It's not wrong to pray about those things. But I think what Paul is pointing out to us is that the spiritual is so much more important. So much more important. And so we have to remember this every day in prayer, that constant prayer on behalf of our congregation, on behalf of the greater church of God, and our brethren. It is a symptom of a healthy spiritual life. I don't have time. I like to think I'm a minimalist. I'll try to get the most done in the smallest amount of time. Well, is that something that's possible when it comes to these directions that God gives us? You know, do I have a lack of an opportunity to pray or give intercession for others? You know, if I fall back to that excuse, that's a different kind of symptom. That's a symptom of an unhealthy Christian. But instead, what God wants is that we look to others. We pray for others. Because if we're unhealthy, now that doesn't mean we don't pray. Is it possible for unhealthy disciples to pray and still be unhealthy? Yeah. You see, because what tends to happen is those prayers, instead of thinking of others and taking others to God and before His throne, I'm talking about me, and I'm concerned about mine, and I'm primarily selfish in my prayers, concerns with my needs and my wants. And of course, once again, we find our Savior, Jesus Christ, the ultimate example in that. We talked a little earlier about Christ just before the crucifixion, having us and all His disciples on His mind, all mankind for that matter, in dying for their sins. In the book of John, we're told that Christ had us on His mind. And in fact, just before He was taken to be crucified in John 17, He talks about, we're set apart. Ask God to set us apart by His truth. You know that famous passage in John 17, 17, Christ prayed to God Almighty, sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth. And so Christ was praying to the Father, Father, help my disciples to grow by hearing Your Word, by studying Your Word. Let it be like a real meal for them, that it's food to them, and make them one. Father, like you and me, we're one. Help them to be unified. Remember Him praying those things? He prayed, keep them from the evil one, protect them from every attack of the devil. You see, those things were on Christ's mind. And He prayed, as it says there in John 17, not only for the disciples of the day, He prayed for those who would come to believe through them. And that's us. That's us. Christ prayed for us.

And I think an amazing aspect of that is that hasn't changed now that Christ is at the right hand of the Father. In fact, when we read in Hebrews 7, verse 25, we're reminded of that very thing. Christ prayed for us then, and today we're still on His mind. We're still right there in His thinking. Hebrews 7, 25 certainly reminds us of that fact. It says here in Hebrews 25, speaking of Christ, it says, therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him. Since He always lives to make intercession for them. You see, Christ is there at the right hand of the Father. He experienced life the way that we experience life. He knows what it's like to be tested. He knows what it's like to be tempted. He knows what it's like to go through trials. And He goes to God on our behalf. And He can, it doesn't say once in a while, but He can save to the uttermost. And He does this always. He always lives. And so think about that in our relationship to others. When we continually intercede for each other, I think that connects us even more closely to our head, to Jesus Christ, the head of the church, and then by extension more closely to God the Father. And so, do I remember my brothers and my sisters in my daily prayers? Are they on my thoughts? And do I look out for the little ones? The ones that may be weaker? The ones that are struggling? The ones that are challenged? And there are many of us who are challenged, especially in these difficult times. Do we entreat God Almighty and appeal to Him on their behalf?

You see, that's part of our spiritual duty. And so I have to ask myself, how often do I pray for them? And then when I take it a step farther, how often do I pray for the church, for our congregation? Do I pray for the work of the church? When was the last time I petitioned God to powerfully work through our church so that the gospel message would go out in power and authority, that those God wants to call will hear that message, that will go out to the world in a way that will make a difference by the power of God's Holy Spirit? When was the last time we prayed that the work of God would go out in that way? Have I petitioned God lately that the gospel would be preached? That's part of our duty. Christ did that. Paul did that. The disciples did that. And it's so important because prayer is the power of the church. It's the power of God. And it's true in our spiritual lives as well. So as we consider our own spiritual life, on a scale of one to ten, be honest with yourself, you don't have to hold up hands, on a scale to one to ten, how would you rate your prayers before God Almighty? Not just the amount, but the quality of those prayers. If we suffer from the inability to stay awake, wake up spiritually, we've got to recognize the fact that we better be praying for others often because that is a symptom of spiritual health. Now, another symptom of COVID-19, probably one of the most difficult ones, is breathing. Breathing. You've heard of those that suffer from trouble of breathing. They get congestion. They have shortness of breath. Sometimes they have to be put on a ventilator. Shallow breathing. All of those can be terrible symptoms of this disease. That connects to our third symptom of a healthy disciple because on the other hand, if you're healthy, there's going to be a certain sign, I think, that kind of ties in with this. Make our way back to Philippians 1 for a moment. Back in Philippians 1, verse 6, it describes this third symptom of a healthy disciple. And a healthy disciple can breathe. A healthy disciple, Paul described, shows the fact that they are healthy because their faith, instead of shrinking, is expanding and growing. A healthy disciple of Christ is growing in confidence. Growing in confidence, not shrinking back. Verse 6 talks about this. Notice what it says. Philippians 1.6, Paul writes, being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. So he talks about being confident.

Being confident. Now, when we dig into that particular word, it tells us a whole lot about the perspective we're supposed to have. If you look at this word meaning, it's another word for trust. It's another word for faith. Faith, trust, confidence, all synonyms. He says, you can have faith in this very thing. And Paul demonstrates his great faith that he trusted God, and in this instance, to do what? He says that God would complete the work that He began in the Philippians. And of course, by extension, the work that He began in us. In us. Now, what work is Paul talking about? He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ. What work did He believe God would complete in the life of the Philippians and in our lives as well? Well, over in Romans 8, hold your place here in Philippians, Romans 8, verse 28, probably one of those scriptures that we can even recite perhaps. We might know this particular verse by heart. It's definitely a memorable passage. And in Romans 8, 28, it gives us a little insight into what Paul was talking about, being confident and having that trust and that faith in God. What does he say here? The part that we all might be able to rehearse? Paul says in Romans 8, 28, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Love that passage. God works everything for good to those that love Him. That's awesome. Well, what does that mean? Does that mean, well, everything that I'm going through right now will turn out for good. So if I'm going through a trial, that means this trial is going to end and everything's going to be perfect. It's going to be great. You know, my boss is finally going to recognize I'm doing a good job and give me that raise and it's going to work for good. No, not that. That's not the kind of good that God's talking about here. When He works things together for good, well, what does Paul say that's like?

Well, verse 29, for whom He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. When things work together for good, that means being like Christ. God's going to work out these situations in our life so that we're more Christ-like, that we put on the character of Christ. It doesn't mean that every trial is going to disappear, that everything's going to be hunky-dory, we're going to have wonderful, smooth sailing for the rest of our... No, it doesn't mean that at all. I mean, ultimately, it means being born into the family of God. Ultimately, it means being a child in the Kingdom of God. Yes, no doubt about that. Points to that very thing. And to be there, I have to be like Christ. That's the absolute requirement. If we're going to be in the Kingdom of God, we must be in the image of Jesus Christ. It's the only way that we'll have entrance in the Kingdom. We have to do that. Now, the question then is, do we have confidence in that?

Do we have confidence? You see, if we really have confidence that God is going to complete the work that He began in me, in each of us, that should have an impact in the way that we live. Should have an impact in the way that we face life, in the way that we face difficulties and trials and circumstances. Because if I'm fearful and overly anxious, well, I might become frantic or overwhelmed with the challenges that life presents. But with faith and trust and the confidence that Paul was talking about, with that godly conviction, I'm going to recognize God wasn't looking down on my life and then suddenly saying, wow, I didn't know that was going to happen. I mean, that's not God. He knows what's going on. He understands what's going on. He recognizes what's going on. And He's allowed these things to go on. And even in the trials, even in the difficulties, even in the failures, God is working in and through each of those things to make me more like Christ, that I put on the character of Jesus Christ. There's a couple of beautiful Psalms that relate that very fact. And I'll take a moment to read them because they're just wonderful passages, I think, that reflect that very thing. Working a good work in each of us, God says, that's His promise. He's going to do that if we'll allow it. That's what God wants. And in Psalm 34, verse 4, it's certainly a reminder of that fact, especially during these challenging, difficult times that we're living in, these times of COVID-19, the challenges that we face, the anxiousness and the stress that can come from those things. Psalm 34, 4 is one of those passages that should give us reassurance and should help us and should guide us. Take a look at Psalm 34, verse 34.

Here it says, I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

What doesn't that say? Oh, didn't say it took the trial away. Didn't say He fixed my health. Didn't say He gave me a better job. Doesn't say any of those things. It says He delivered me from all my fears. All things work together for good. When we love God, we can put on the character of Christ and He can take our anxieties. He can take our fears. He can take our worries and toss them right in the trash. We don't have to be fearful because we're seeking God. We're growing in faith. We're growing in confidence. We're growing in trust, even though circumstances might be tough. That's what the Philippians were doing. They were doing that very thing. And so we're encouraged to do that same thing. In fact, another Psalm just a little later, Psalm 94, verse 19. Psalm 94, verse 19. Another great reminder of the same thought. It says it a little bit differently, though. Notice what Psalm 94, verse 19 reminds us of and how it ties in with God working and completing a good work in us and how things work together for good. Psalm 94, verse 19. It says, in the multitude of my anxieties within me. Well, that's my worries. That's my fears. You know, that's everything that I have concerns about. He says it's a multitude. And these days, yeah, we can have a whole list of worries and fears and anxieties. But it says here, in those lists and multitudes of anxieties, it says, your comforts delight my soul. All right, despite the fact I'm going through a storm in my life, I can take comfort. I can take assurance that God's going to work this out, that ultimately, in the end of things, He's in control. He is in charge. And He can work every situation, ultimately, for my good so I can be more Christlike. So ultimately, I can be a part of His family in the kingdom. And on the other hand, if I'm overly anxious, and I'm so worried that that consumes me, I'm really showing a lack of faith. I'm not trusting God. And of course, when we go through some of these things, when we disappoint ourselves and we're discouraged in our trials or our own faults, our own shortcomings, I can get angry about that. Get mad about things. Get mad, why do I have to go through this? I don't understand this. And we can get downright angry about the whole thing. But Paul's reminding us, these things are meant to help us grow closer to God, to know more about Him and His character, to be more dependent on Him and not our own strength, to have more trust and more confidence in the promises of God. So even in those trials, in those sufferings and difficulties, God wants us to draw closer to Him. He wants us to change. He wants us to recognize these failures so that we will hate the sin and draw closer to Him so we can repent and turn away from those things and overcome and put those things behind us.

And so if those difficulties in those situations bring discouragement and doubt and fear, that is not what God wants. God wants us to turn that around.

And He wants to use those things for a greater opportunity for trust and reliance on Him.

And so letting our confidence and trust grow, grow in God as we draw near to Him in confidence that He is going to work a mighty work in His people. And in fact, as we consider that thought, there's also another facet to this whole idea. You know, as we recognize, as Paul wrote to the Philippians, that He who started a good work in you will see it to completion. We recognize the fact Paul's also talking about God working His will, not just in my life, but in others' lives, that God is working in others' lives. And Paul was convinced of that. You couldn't tell him otherwise. He was absolutely convicted that God was going to work that work in the Philippians. Were the Philippians perfect? Now you read that book. Yeah, they're kind of complainers. Yeah, they weren't perfect. Yeah, they let some wrong ideas, false teachings come in a little bit. There's a little bit of discord in the congregation as well. Well, what was Paul's perspective?

God's faithful. God's faithful. And so when we consider that, is there a way that we can know if we trust God to complete His work in others? Paul was confident God was going to complete it in the Philippians. How can I know if I do the same, if I trust God and have faith, a growing confidence, that He's going to finish that work in others?

I think we can tell by how we treat them. How do we treat others? Especially when there's difficulties. Especially when I don't like what they said. Especially when I don't like the way they treated me. Especially when there's a conflict.

How do we treat each other? Maybe when somebody lets us down. They failed us.

You see, I think how we treat one another reflects if we really have that kind of faith and trust and confidence that God will complete that work in others. He wrote about that to Timothy. You see, that's more of an outward kind of a thing, rather than he's going to complete this work in me. That's a promise. Boy, I take that to heart. That's awesome. God can work these things in me. But certainly not limited to that. He's going to do it for others as well. And when Paul wrote to Timothy a second time, 2 Timothy 2, it connects with that very thought. 2 Timothy 2, verse 24.

Here Paul is giving instructions to this young minister, Timothy. And as he instructs Timothy, it connects with this idea of having the faith and confidence that God will work in others' lives. And so he tells Timothy 2, verse 24 in 2 Timothy, he says, "...a servant of the Lord..." Okay, that's us. That's not just talking about ministers there. Anybody that's a servant of God, we are servants of God. What does he say? "...they must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, patient..." Okay, so we're not to fuss and fight and argue with people.

Whole grudges, that's included there.

Our reputation, on the other hand, has to be one of gentleness and kindness, not resentment, not...

Okay, I have to love him, but I don't have to like him.

Wait a second, where's that in the Bible? I don't think that's there. No, he says, "...gentle to all, patient with all..." Verse 25, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, "...if God will perhaps grant them repentance, so that they might know the truth, that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." So what's happening here is Paul's very similar to what he wrote to the Philippians.

God will complete that work He started in them. Paul's saying, a true disciple, a true servant, trusts God to grant them repentance. That God's going to work that out, you see, and if our character is one of gentleness, or one of kindness, one of graciousness, one of patience, even when we disagree with one another, even when, well, maybe they actually are wrong.

Maybe they are wrong. Well, do I hold a grudge or get angry with them? Have hard feelings toward others? I mean, isn't that the Facebook way? Yeah, they said that, and I'm going to write right back and tell them what it's all about. And we can't... I got to have the last word. I'm going to put them in their place and tell them how wrong they are, and I'm going to tell them exactly what it's all about.

And we got to do... what? What good is that going to do? Because you never have the last word on Facebook. You never have the last word in life. Am I going to be able to fix that? Or is God the only one that grants repentance and changes hearts? You see, if we recognize it's God doing that work, it's not because I'm going to convince them or I'm going to overwhelm them and show them how wrong they are.

That's going to be the solution? I don't think so. Yes, true disciples teach and challenge. Paul says that here to Timothy, no doubt. But we do it out of love, we do it out of concern, and we do it with the realization that only God transforms lives. Only God can do that. And so step back. Ask yourself. I have to ask myself, am I an arguer? Am I a disbuter? Am I squabbling and bicker over things? How do I treat people when they mistreat me? How do I treat them?

That's important. Do I harbor those hard feelings? Or have I changed my perspective, my manner, my approach? Because I have confidence in God, because I have trust in God, because my faith is growing. I can't let that resentfulness and that unforgiving nature to come out. That is just not Christ-like. If it does, it's showing my faith is just little itty-bitty, isn't it? It's showing how small my faith really is. It's showing my confidence lies in me. It doesn't rely on God. You see, that's a wrong perspective. And what's the result going to be? You don't win on Facebook. You're going to be frustrated. You're not going to be satisfied.

And so ultimately, we've got to put those things into God's hand and have the faith and trust and confidence. He's going to work those things out. In fact, if you still have a hold on Philippians, go back to Philippians chapter 3. We'll fast forward to chapter 3 now in the book of Philippians, verse 15. Paul addresses that very thought here.

Philippians chapter 3, verse 15. Because we recognize God who started a good work, will see it to completion. We recognize that. Now, that doesn't take away our free moral agency. We still have to choose to follow God. No doubt about that. But God's going to do what God will do. And so as we look at this, we recognize, as it says in verse 15 in Philippians 3, therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind.

Of course, that's talking about the mind of Christ. He says, and if in anything else you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. You see, Paul is saying, yeah, there's going to be people that argue with you. There's people that are going to disagree with you. But ultimately, put it in God's hands. Put it in God's hands because He's going to make it clear.

He's going to make it evident. So Paul had that conviction that God's going to take care of it. God's going to work it all for good, ultimately. And so he demonstrated that confidence, not in people, but in God Himself.

So can I learn to trust God in that He will complete what He began in others?

I mean, what pressure comes off of us when that happens? You know, it's not up to me to have to change their mind. I mean, aren't you glad that God is so patient with us, that He loves us so much, that He's working our lives so that we are more like His Son? You see, and if we have that sign, that symptom of trust and faith, and it's growing in our lives, both in Him and in the lives of others, it changes everything. It changes us. And so that symptom of ultimate growing faith becomes predominant in our lives, and it changes our relationship with others. It takes off the pressure from each and every one of us in that way. And so when we consider that, we know that COVID system of shallow breathing, difficulty in that way, Paul was not one for shallow thinking or shallow confidence. He had a great faith and conviction, conviction that he wants us to have as well, that God will work in our lives and in the lives of our brethren as well.

Now, one of the other interesting things about this whole COVID-19, one of the most interesting symptoms of all, at least to me, is no symptoms. Asymptomatic. You've heard that word over and over and over again. So people can have COVID-19, be walking around, and not even know that they have it. All right, put that into our thinking for today on our topic today. It doesn't work that way for Christians. You can't be an asymptomatic Christian.

It doesn't work that way. Am I an asymptomatic Christian? Do I pretend I'm healthy? Do I think I'm healthy? When in actuality, I'm not. You see, if you think you're an asymptomatic Christian, now's the time to make some changes. Now's the time to get healthy.

Now's the time to improve our spiritual health by showing the right symptoms, the right symptoms. These are just three of many that we could discuss about our spiritual health. But if we're asymptomatic, we certainly can improve our spiritual health by thinking of others often, by praying for others often, and by growing in our confidence and conviction and our trust. And of course, when we do, you know what's going to happen? The test is going to come back positive.

It's going to come back positive. We have the great God on our side. And when we do those things and show those signs, we will definitely show the symptoms of a spiritually healthy disciple of Jesus Christ.