The Habits of Happiness (Philippians) – Part 9


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“I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, SO THAT I MAY BE CHEERED when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone else looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 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 also send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow 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 distressedbecause 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. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.”  PHILIPPIANS 2:19-30 (NIV)
 

• PAUL ENDORSED TWO MEN AS ROLE MODELS
  • Timothy: “I have no one else like him!” vs. 20  
  • Epaphroditus: “Welcome him... HONOR men like him” vs. 29

 

• PAUL SAID SENDING THESE MEN WOULD BRING HAPPINESS!

I’m sending (these men)...
          “so that I may be CHEERED” vs. 19
           “so that you may be GLAD” vs. 28
           “so that I may have less ANXIETY” vs. 28b
 “…it will make me happy and lighten my cares.” (TLB) 
 
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TO BE HAPPY

1. SHIFT ________________________________________________________________.

“I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone else looks out for his own interests…”  PHILIPPIANS 2:20-21 (NIV)
 
“He genuinely cares for you…others only care about themselves.” (TEV)
 
“...they are all wrapped up in their own affairs...”  (Ph)    
 
“Don’t be so obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”  PHILIPPIANS 2:4 (Msg)  

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2. BECOME _______________________________________________________________.

“…those who can’t be trusted are on the road to ruin.” PROVERBS 13:15 (TEV)
 
“Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father, he has served with me in the work of the gospel.”  PHILIPPIANS 2: 22 (NIV)
            
“...you know what kind of person Timothy proved to be.” (GW)
 

• _________________________________________________.

“Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing!”  PROVERBS 25:13 (Msg)
 
“Putting confidence in an unreliable person is like chewing with a sore tooth, or trying to run on a broken foot.” PROVERBS 25:19 (TLB)
 
“Honest people will lead a full, happy life.”  PROVERBS 28:20 (TEV)
 

• __________________________________________________.

“They always do what they promise, no matter how much it may cost.” PSALM 15:4 (TEV)
 
“God blesses the person who sweareth to his own hurt.” (KJV)
 

3. LEARN __________________________________________________________________.

• ___________________________________________.

“I send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, my fellow worker and my fellow soldier, is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.”  PHILIPPIANS 2:25 (NIV)
 
“...he has worked and fought by my side.” (GN)
 
Jesus: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.” MATTHEW 5:9 (MSG)
                        

• ____________________________________________.

“But now, I must send him back to you, because he longs to see all of you, and has been worried about your distress since you heard that he was sick.”  PHILIPPIANS 2:26 (NCV) 
 
“You must get along with each other! You must learn to be considerate of one another, cultivating a life in common.” 1 CORINTHIANS 1:10 (Msg)
 
“I don’t just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for everyone so they may be saved.”  1 CORINTHIANS 10:33 (NLT)


4. LIVE ________________________________________________________________________.

“Indeed he was very ill, and he almost died...he RISKED HIS LIFE for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while trying to do for me the things you couldn’t do because you were far away!” PHILIPPIANS 2:27, 30 (NLT) 
 
“Only those who give away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.”  MARK 8:35 (TLB)
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The Habits of Happiness (Philippians) – Part 7
Philippians 2:12-18 (NIV)
 
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FIVE WAYS WE OFTEN LOSE OUR HAPPINESS                 Antidote

1. Fearing that we’re out there all on our own.              vs. 13
2. Fretting and fighting over small stuff                           vs. 14
3. Feeling guilty or ashamed                                               vs. 15
4. Forgetting what God has promised                                vs. 16
5. Focusing only on ourselves                                              vs. 17-18

 
“…continue to WORK OUT your salvation with fear and trembling, (with deep reverence & humility) for it is God who WORKS IN you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” PHILIPPIANS 2:12-13 (NIV)
  
5 WORKOUTS FOR A HAPPY HEART
 
1. REMEMBER ____________________________________________________________________!
“For God is always working IN YOU, giving you both the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.”  PHILIPPIANS 2:13 (NIV)
 
Jesus: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will be WITH YOU...and you will realize that...you are in me, and I am in you!”  JOHN 14:18-20 (NIV) 
 
“If God is FOR US, who can defeat us?”  ROMANS 8:31 (NCV)

2. BE _______________________________________________________________________________!
“Do EVERYTHING without complaining or arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you.”  PHILIPPIANS 2:14-15a (TLB)
  
“In EVERYTHING give thanks: for this is God’s Will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 (NASB)

3. KEEP ____________________________________________________________________________!
“Live clean, innocent (pure) lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”PHILIPPIANS 2:15 (NLT)
 
“HAPPY are those who live pure lives, who follow the Lord’s teaching, keep his rules, and who try to obey him with their whole heart.” PSALM 119:1-2 (NCV)
 
“What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record!”  PSALM 32:1-2 (TLB)

4. MEMORIZE ______________________________________________________________________!
“Hold firmly to the Word of Life...”  PHILIPPIANS 2:16 (NLT)
 
“Your principles make me HAPPY, so I NEVER FORGET your Word.”  PSALM 119:16 (GW) 
 
“Lead me in the path of your commands, because that is where my happiness is found.”  PSALM 119:35 (NLT)

5. USE ______________________________________________________________________________!  
“Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God. If I have to offer my own blood as a sacrifice, I will be happy and full of joy. And you should be happy and full of joy with me too!”  PHILIPPIANS 2:17-18 (NCV)
  
“Salvation can only be found in Jesus alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.”  ACTS 4:12 (TEV) 

A Mother’s Day Message
 
“Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land...” EXODUS 20:12 (NIV)
 
I. WHY DID GOD GIVE THIS COMMANDMENT? 
            Because...

• THERE ARE NO _____________________ PARENTS!
• RESPECT FOR _______________________ BEGINS AT HOME.
• HOW I RELATE TO MY PARENTS WILL AFFECT EVERY OTHER ______________________.

 
II. HOW TO HONOR MY PARENTS 

1. AS A CHILD, I HONOR MY PARENTS BY ______________________ AND ___________________ THEM.
“Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to do because God has placed them in authority over you.” EPHESIANS 6:1(TLB)
 
“A son who mistreats his father or mother is a public disgrace.” PROVERBS 19:26 (TLB)
 
2. AS A YOUNG PERSON, I HONOR MY PARENTS BY _____________________ AND _________________________ THEM 
Acceptance includes:
 
“Listen to your father who gave you your life and do not despise your mother.” PROVERBS 23:22 (NIV)
 
“If you curse your parents, your life will end like a lamp that goes out in the dark.” PROVERBS 20:20 (TEV)
 
“Be grateful for the good things that the Lord has given you and your family...” DEUTERONOMY 26:11 (TEV)
 
“When your mother is old, show her your appreciation.” PROVERBS 23:22 (TEV)
 
3. AS AN ADULT, I HONOR MY PARENTS BY _____________________________________ AND _______________________________ THEM. 
“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.” PROVERBS 3:27 (NIV)
 
“Anyone who won’t care for his own relatives when they need help, especially his own family, has no right to say he is a Christian.  Such a person is worse than the heathen.” 1 TIMOTHY 5:8 (TLB)
 
A WORD TO PARENTS:  Be ‘honorable’!
“And now a word to you parents; Don’t keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful.  Rather, bring them up with loving discipline...” EPHESIANS 6:4 (TLB)

The Habits of Happiness (Philippians) – Part 6
Pastor Mora | May 3, 2020

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“Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.” Proverbs 13:10 (NLT) 
 
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-11
Vs. 1-2           Happiness comes from Harmony
Vs. 3-5           Harmony comes from Humility 
Vs. 6-11         Jesus modeled both
 
HARMONY CREATES HAPPINESS
“You will make my JOY COMPLETE by having the same mind, by sharing the same love, by being united in spirit, and intent on one purpose.” Philippians 2:2 (NAS)
 
HOW TO REDUCE CONFLICT WITH OTHERS

1. NEVER LET PRIDE BE MY GUIDE.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit…”  Philippians 2:3a (NIV)

• SELFISH AMBITION:

“For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” James 3:16 (NLT) 

• VAIN CONCEIT:

“Don't live to make a good impression on others.” (TLB)     
 
“Don’t do anything from a cheap desire to boast.” (TEV)   

2. BE HUMBLE OR I’LL STUMBLE.
“Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than to yourself.”  Philippians 2:3b (NCV)

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  James 4:6 (NIV)
 
3. LISTEN AND PAY ATTENTION.
“Don’t be interested only in your own life, but be interested in what concerns others too.”  Philippians 2:4 (NCV)

4. ASK, “WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?”.“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

ACTING LIKE JESUS MEANS...

• I DON’T ____________________________________________________.

“Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He emptied himself of all he had...”  Philippians 2:6 (TLB)

• I LOOK _____________________________________________________.

“Jesus took on the nature of a servant, becoming a human just like us.” Philippians 2:7 (ESV)

• I DO ________________________________________________________.

“While living as a man, Jesus humbled himself even more, by being fully obedient to God, even when that meant his death on a cross!” Philippians 2:8 (NCV)
 
THE REWARD
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT)