Faithful Example - Philippians 2:19-30

INTRO

Let’s start today off with a little Trivia.

Think to yourself for a moment do you know the 5 richest people in the world?

Do you know em?

Let’s put it on the screen

Elon Musk: $210 billion

Jeff Bezos: $144 billion

Bernard Arnault: $143 billion

Gautam Adani: $122 billion

Bill Gates: $111 billion

Maybe your more of a Sports Trivia person.

Many of you watched College Football yesterday who were the last 5 winners of the Heisman Trophy?

Bryce Young

Devonta Smith

Joe Burrow

Kyler Murray

Baker Mayfield

Some of you don’t know any of those names.

Now here is one you will probably know right away.

Think of someone who helped you through a rough patch.

Think of someone who helped you through a dark time.

Someone who was there when you need them the most.

Here’s another question think of someone who mentored you or who invested in you that truly made a difference in your life.

Here’s the point the people who matter most are the people who care for us.

The people we remember are the people who truly care.

Now we may remember someone for their finances or their success on a field. But how easily they are forgotten.

What truly matters are the people who care.

Paul is going to show us two such people here in our passage today who deeply care for the Philippian church.

We are at a really fun age with our son Samuel.

Perhaps you’ve seen him barreling around today.

It’s so amazing to see how much the little guy absorbs.

Perhaps the sweetest thing is to see how much he copies me and Hannah.

If we say something he says it.

If I do a goofy dance he copies me.

Perhaps you have kids that look up to you.

Maybe you think about your own childhood and the people you use to look up to.

Today we will see two people who care.

Two people who are worth copying their example.

Here is what we will see and it’s really simple.

Big Idea: Anyone can be used by God.

Coram Deo...no matter your skill set whether you feel like you could lead a small group or set up chairs. Whatever it may be anyone can be used by God.

Here is what you need to do that : an obedient heart of love and service.

Love and service.

So let’s look at these faithful examples and it starts with Timothy.

I. Timothy - Loyal Love (19-24)

Philippians 2:19–24 (ESV)

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

So a bit of church history.

Timothy was Paul’s faithful companion.

Timothy was born to a jewish mother and a greek father.

He responded to the gospel through Paul’s ministry.

He then had joined in faithfully with Paul taking the gospel across the known world.

He eventually became the pastor of the Ephesian church.

As we read this at first glance it can feel like a travel itinerary.

Ok cool Paul is sending his good friend Timothy after they take care of some business.

But as we consider chapter 2 as a whole we see that Paul has been pointing to this idea that we would live for others.

He can think of no one who quit exemplifies this mindset like Timothy.

Timothy had given up everything to make much of Jesus.

He was a faithful companion to Paul who is in a bad situation.

Now he is going to send Timothy to serve the church in Phillipi.

Here is what is beautiful, Timothy is willing to do this because he loves the Philippians.

Timothy was there when the church first got its start.

Paul tells them now he will be genuinely concerned for their welfare.

Now again let’s pause, there is a lot here to learn about love.

Paul is in chains. Not an easy thing.

He says that Timothy is like a son to him.

We know from other epistles that Paul has mentored and cared for Timothy.

Here it says they have the same mind.

They are so in sink in ministry as friends, as family.

Paul I am certain would rather have Timothy with him.

Yet he knows how much of a blessing Timothy will be the Philippian church as he models the mind of Christ.

He will be an example of loyal love and that is something they need.

Timothy is willing to make the journey of over 1200 miles.

Timothy is serving the gospel with Paul as a son labors alongside his father (Phil. 2:22).

In a healthy father-son relationship, a son is eager to please his father, to follow his directions, to earn his confidence, and to grow to resemble his father. The father can trust such a son with challenging assignments. Others recognize that the son reflects the father’s character and interests.

By invoking the father-son analogy, Paul tells the Philippians, “Timothy’s heart beats, as mine does, to see you all grow strong in Jesus, holding fast to and holding forth the gospel to the watching world, and caring for each other in the family of God. When you see him in action, you can be sure that you are experiencing how I care for you, though still separated from you by hundreds of miles.”

Let me ask you this question Coram Deo, who have you learned the most from about what it means to follow Jesus?

When we do member meetings we ask the question, “People often point to Paul and Timothyʼs relationship as a model for mentoring and accountability. Which types of relationships are you experiencing? Which ones are lacking?”

Many of us have what I would call timothy-timothy or peer to peer relationships.

Listen that is awesome.

But I just want to point out that even though we are a young church, a small congregation we have a diversity in life experience.

Some of you have walked with Jesus much longer than others in this room.

Today if you are looking at your marriage, your job, your relationships and you want to know how to grow deeper can I just encourage you to go seek out some folks who have walked with Jesus longer then you.

Maybe have had different challenges then you and ask them to have lunch with you.

Ask questions.

Listen we complicate discipleship.

We think we have to have a guru and a step-by-step program but often the best discipleship is just life lived together.

If you look around and perhaps your kids are a little older, maybe you have walked with Jesus longer then the guy behind you, would you be willing to reach out to them?

You may think you aren’t that put together and don’t have all the answers but if you are seeking Jesus and reading the bible in our current cultural moment you’re doing a whole lot better then you might think.

Frankly Coram Deo we need each other.

There is a scene a scene from The West Wing. White House chief of staff Leo McGarry reaches out to his deputy, Josh Lyman, who is struggling with PTSD. Leo tells him a parable:

This guy’s walking down the street when he falls down a hole.

The walls are so steep he can’t get out. A doctor passes by, and the guy shouts up, “Hey, you! Can you help me out?” The doctor writes a prescription and throws it down in the hole and moves on.

Then a priest comes along, and the guy shouts, “Father, I’m down in this hole. Can you help me out?”

The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole, and moves on.

Then a friend walks by. “Hey, Joe, it’s me! Can you help me out?” And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, “Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.” The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before, and I know the way out.”

What value we can share with each other.

This is a poignant example of a loving leader willing to go when he could serve just as faithfully in Rome it should stir us.

What lengths are you willing to go to love and serve your brothers and sisters around you?

We often will serve only up to the point of discomfort then we are out.

Are you willing to be inconvenienced so that someone else might grow deeper in the Lord?

Are you willing to care for someone else here to the point that it costs you?

Do you want to be used by God?

Love one another.

Go deeper then surface level.

 Give a little of yourself, even though you feel stretched already. One certain way to receive encouragement, hope, or companionship is to give it.

Gretchen Thompson

Timothy would be genuinely an encouragement for the Philippian church.

He was concerned for their wellbeing.

“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.”—William Arthur Ward

Be an encourager Coram Deo.

Pursue one another and push each other to christ like love.

Anyone can be used by God, it starts with a willingness to love.

Next we see that love pour over into sacrificial service.

II. Epaphroditus - Sacrificial Love (v25-30)

Philippians 2:25–30 (ESV)

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

Now we see our second faithful example in our text, Epaphroditus.

We mentioned this a while back but while Paul was in chains in Rome waiting for his case to hopefully get appealed successfully to Caesar he was expected to pay for his own needs.

Imagine being in prison but having to pay for your food and pay rent but you cant work...

It’s not a great situation.

So the Philippian church is concerned and sends Epaphroditus to deliver money to Paul.

Who is Epaphroditus.

Well, history agrees he isn’t an elder, deacon, or some other church leader.

He was just a dude.

A willing servant.

The issue happened though that Epaphroditus became severely ill to the point of almost dying.

So instead of delivering the gift and then going back to Philippi with word on how Paul was doing he ends up in a bed fighting for his life.

Now he has recovered and is going to be hand delivering this letter.

So Epaphroditus will set out for Philippi immediately, carrying news of Paul’s situation and Paul’s thanks for the Philippians’ gift, and presenting his own restored health as an occasion for the church to rejoice in God’s kindness.

But Paul has another, not-so-ulterior motive in sending Epaphroditus home: the Philippians need another human role model to show them, in a man whom they knew well, what it means in the nitty gritty of everyday life to share the mind-set of Christ so thoroughly that they are ready to serve to the point of death, following the Savior’s footsteps.

As the Philippians will see the submission of Jesus the Servant reflected in Paul’s readiness to let God direct his plans and the selflessness of Jesus in Timothy’s concern for their well-being above his own, so they will observe Epaphroditus, one of their own, a man who is prepared to sacrifice his very life for the cause of Christ

Look at verse 25

Philippians 2:25 (ESV)

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,

- Brother.

This first description reminds us how we become partners in the gospel.

Through Christ, we have been adopted by the Father.

And when you become a Christian, not only do you have a new relationship with God, but you also get a new relationship with other believers.

You are now brothers and sisters.

The term brother may not mean much to you if you grew up in a church where you heard it regularly.

Christians often use the term because they can’t remember each other’s names!

But it’s a miracle that we’re brothers and sisters.

Our identity has changed; God is our Father, and we are adopted family members.

In calling him “brother” Paul is also highlighting his affection for Epaphroditus, not just this identity change.

When you go through hard times with Christian brothers or sisters at your side, you form a deep relationship with them. Such was the case here.

Praise God for brothers and sisters in Christ!

- Coworker.

Paul also labored in the same mission as Epaphroditus.

Though Paul was more up front, in a position of leadership, he recognized that they were equals.

Paul didn’t assume some position of superiority.

They worked together for the cause of Christ.

Epaphroditus, you could say, nearly “worked himself to death.”

-Fellow soldier.

Paul changes the image to one of his favorite pictures of the Christian life.

He goes to the battlefield and calls him a “fellow soldier..”

He and Epaphroditus had been through a spiritual war together.

As in the case of the term coworker, Paul sees himself as an equal, on the same mission together.

As is the case with many good soldiers, Epaphroditus had been wounded, and he was being sent home to rest.

-Messenger and minister.

Moving from their relationship with each other, Paul mentions the relationship between Epaphroditus and the Philippians.

With two words he explains what Epaphroditus was called to do.

He was their “messenger”. Like the apostle Paul, he was “sent” with a mission to convey the love of the church and to give a gift to Paul.

And he was also their “minister”, a word that carries the idea of priestly service.

This term doesn’t refer to a position, but to a particular function.

All believers are God’s priests, and all believers are called to worship God through sacrificial service (Rom 12:1-2).

Epaphroditus worshiped God by serving Paul and others.

While it’s good to discuss various aspects of corporate worship, we shouldn’t limit our discussion of worship to merely what happens on Sunday.

We need worshipers like Epaphroditus.

Wouldn’t these five terms be wonderful on a tombstone?

Wouldn’t you like to be known as a brother, coworker, fellow soldier, messenger, and minister?

What would people say about you?

Emulate Epaphroditus Coram Deo.

Here is what I love about this, Epaphroditus is given tons of accolades from Paul.

Why?

It’s not because he was this epic gospel preacher.

It’s because we was willing to die for the gospel.

Service matters Coram Deo.

There was a pastor who talked to a member of his church who served faithfully. One day he said

“You preachers talk a lot about giving, but when you get right down to it, it all comes down to basin theology.”

The pastor asked, “Basin theology? What’s that?”

The layman replied, “Remember what Pilate did when he had the chance to acquit Jesus? He called for a basin and washed his hands of the whole thing. But Jesus, the night before his death, called for a basin and proceeded to wash the feet of the disciples. It all comes down to basin theology: Which one will you use?”

Will you serve or will you excuse yourself?

The things you do, if done with a heart that beats for Christ have eternal weight.

This month is Pastor Appreciation month.

A couple weeks ago you guys dragged out a blackstone griddle and gave cards to me and my family.

You showed appreciation for me and I thank you for that.

But I want to step back for a moment and express my appreciation for you.

All of you who open your Bible every morning or every evening…or most days.

Who are seeking to hear from the Lord Jesus and to become like him.

To all of you who pray regularly for the needs of this body and for your friends and family who don’t know the Lord.

For all of you who give out of your finances faithfully out of a modest income for the advancement of the kingdom of God through this congregation.

For those who are just doing your best to trust God, follow the spirit…to love your spouse, lead your kids to know something about Jesus.

To those who open your homes to allow community to happen.

For all of you who show up early to set up chairs, and tables, and sound systems.

To make coffee, run slides, play music

To those of you who seek to turn a cafe into a classroom and love on babies and teach children who Jesus is and the truth of the scriptures

For those who welcome folks in every week.

To those who juggle work and family and still pour time in the scriptures so you have something to share with others

You may never get the recognition you deserve but Jesus sees you.

And I want to honor and thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord and this community.

It is a joy to serve with you and to shepherd you as your pastor.

Sacrificial service matters.

Anyone can be used by God.

Conclusion

Timothy and Epaphroditus give us living examples in the book of Philippians, particularly in 2:3-4.

To summarize, let me repeat Paul’s exhortation: “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”

These men show us what happens when the gospel really transforms us from the inside out: we begin to live like Jesus (2:5-11).

That’s why Timothy was willing to go across the world and give his life.

This is why Epaphroditus took on a risky trip across the first century world.

Because Jesus is worth it.

Because Jesus gave his life on the cross of Calvary.

Because Jesus had given new life through his resurrection and ascension.

These men would serve faithfully

What about you?

Is this the nature of your Christian life, a life of considering the needs of others above your own?

The only way that happens is by trusting in Christ, who emptied Himself on behalf of sinful people like us, and by pursuing through the Spirit this attitude and these types of actions, which include everyday acts of love, little by little, over the long haul.

Let’s spend our lives for the good of others and the glory of Jesus in the ordinariness of life.