A Servant's Example

Sermon: FCC Afton 10-16-2022 A Servant's Example Scripture: Philippians 2:19-30 Reminder: Mission Trip Opportunity: Pine Haven Children's Ranch- Summer of 2023 Recap: -Last week, we continued in our survey of Philippians in the quest to develop within each of us a Biblical worldview- or knowing in every situation what God desires for us and expects from us, knowing what the Bible says about each situation, and how God desires to use each of us within each situation. Remember, we are digging slowly through this letter, discovering what truths God has for us to learn and what we should store away in our hearts to ponder and meditate on throughout the week. This past week, we continued in Paul's pattern of establishing a doctrinal truth for us to consider and then following it up with instructions for how we are to live in such a way that glorifies Christ and honors His sacrifice on your behalf. We discussed this foundational truth: that we have a part to play in God's quest to share salvation with us, both in God's plan to offer you salvation and in His expectation for you to live as a model of Jesus that draws others to want to know Him. We are saved solely by God's grace, but it is up to us to put our faith in Him and accept the salvation that He offers. God never forces Himself on us, even though He could, and no matter how much He desires to draw us back into right relationship with Himself. Just like the father of the prodigal son, God waits until we return to Him- He doesn't send out His servants to find us and drag us back home. But here is also doctrinal truth that we need to know: once we accept God's free gift of salvation, we don't sit back and watch what's going on and simply try to be good people; rather, we are to be engaged in the great work of God's Kingdom- there is no sitting this out. If you will be saved, you will be active in the work that God has prepared for you to do. The Paul moved into the truth of how we should live to glorify and honor Christ, building on his previous instruction of adopting the attitude of Christ: stop grumbling and arguing. Because you have been given the free gift of grace, especially when you didn't deserve it, you have nothing to grumble or argue about- and even more especially because the world is watching and when what they see out of you may determine what they know about Jesus and how they respond to Him! We have discussed at length the attitude of Christ and how it reflects our surrender to Christ and our posture of obedience to the Master who has saved us. We model the attitude of Christ, who humbled Himself and was obedient through torture, through crucifixion, even unto death, all on our behalf. Paul has pointed out repeatedly that this attitude of Christ should be modeled by Believers. Today, we move deeper and begin to discuss how Believers are supposed to provide examples for others to follow and how the Church should honor those servants who do this well. Read Philippians 2:19-30 Pray here! -Up to this point, Paul has given two examples of self-sacrificing love- the Lord Jesus, our ultimate example to follow, and himself- both willing to pour their out their lives to death for the Kingdom of God. In this section of the letter, Paul shares two more examples of selflessness- pointing and saying, "Look, here are examples of Jesus that you should imitate as well." Just like in 1 Corinthians 11:1, where Paul stated, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." Paul gives us examples to model our lives after so that our lives will look more and more like Jesus. -Main Idea: Paul provides us with a template for what our lives should look like for Jesus and then provides examples for us to model our lives after. -Listen again to Paul's descriptions of these two examples he gives us. Timothy, of course, we are familiar with; the church at Philippi would have also been very familiar with Paul's partner in the ministry- indeed, two of the most important "instructional books" of the New Testament are Paul's letters to Timothy. Because of this familiarity, Paul doesn't spend a ton of time introducing Timothy, but what Paul does say about his fellow is impactful. Listen to what Paul says: Timothy is faithful in bringing good news and encouragement to Paul. Because Paul is under house arrest in Rome with no way to check on his friends, he sends trusted brothers out in his place. Timothy is faithful in the work of not only encouraging Paul but also encouraging the churches and Believers that Paul had established. Paul goes on to call Timothy the only one who is like-minded, who will genuinely care about the church at Philippi, who will share the attitude of Christ, and who will seek after and work for the interests of the Lord Jesus. Paul continues. He says, "You already know his proven character." The Philippians had already witnessed Timothy in ministry and had seen his faith at work; they had witnessed the Godly character within him. Paul ends his description of Timothy in this way: he has served with me in the Gospel ministry like a son beside his father. This is a remarkable statement for Timothy because it is believed that he had been abandoned by his Greek father and raised by his Jewish mother and grandmother. Paul has effectively adopted him, not only as a coworker and fellow missionary, but as a son and a spiritual heir. Paul repeatedly calls Timothy his true son in the faith and his dearly loved son. The second example that Paul provides us with is that of Epaphroditus, who is traditionally viewed as the carrier of the letter to the Church at Philippi- and whom I will hereby refer to as Epa. Epa made at least two journeys between Rome and Philippi. It is believed that he was part of the Philippian church, possibly in a leadership role, but he is only mentioned here and in Paul's farewell- there is some thought that he might also be the person Paul calls Epaphras in his letter to the Colossians, but we cannot know for sure. Either way, we don't have much information about him; only Paul's description of him and his part in the Gospel ministry. We know that the church at Philippi sent Epa to bring Paul gifts and financial support, as well as to report back how Paul was doing. It's assumed that the congregation mean for Epa to stay and serve alongside Paul; if not indefinitely, then at least for a time. They sent him to be a missionary in the Gospel ministry. So, when Paul decides to send Epa back to Philippi, he doesn't want the church to think he was doing so with any malice; rather, he wanted them to know just how valuable Epa had been to the ministry and how highly Paul thought of the young man. Paul calls Epa his brother, his coworker, his fellow soldier, and the minister to Paul's own needs. Paul shares the close brotherhood that he has developed with Epa, acknowledges the hard work that they have done together and speaks highly of how Epa has fought for the Gospel. Paul reaffirms that the young man has been especially helpful for Paul personally. There is no idea here of Paul sending Epa away because he was a bother, but that the young man had become such a valued Partner and Paul respected his service. Paul cared for this man and was impressed with his servant heart, and he chose to honor Epa's desire to return to Philippi and assuage their concerns about his health by sending him as the messenger to deliver Paul's letter to Epa's home church. Because Paul knew of the church's concerns for Epa and of Epa's desire to go and see his friends, Paul puts the young man to work rather than to waste his time and his servant's heart. Both of these men are examples of living out the heart of God, honoring Christ's sacrifice by adopting the attitude of Christ, and maturing in faith while modeling Christ for others. And for Paul to say, "Hey, church, these two guys are the model for how you should be doing things. They are the template for Jesus that to help you learn what it means to be a model of Jesus. Model your faith and level of service after theirs!" It is high praise indeed. Truth #1: One of your greatest goals in this life should be to become a model of Jesus that other Believers can use to be inspired to do the same! -Our desire as Believers should be to reach that level of maturity that Timothy had, where others see me and say, 'We already know his proven character.' We should want others to definitively know who we are for Jesus just when they hear our names- they should think 'Now there is an example for Jesus.' They shouldn't have to wonder about our faith. It's not about our glory, but because being an example and model of Jesus is one of the few ways that we have to really, effectively honor our Savior and point others toward Him. I want people to be able to say, 'He has served in the ministry of the Gospel and glorified his Lord and Savior. I want to stand before Jesus and hear Him say, 'Well done, my faithful servant! You knocked it out of the park!' Paul spells out for us what it looks like to be this model of Jesus to the world. We can pull a lot out of what he has said about Timothy and Epaphroditus: Examples of Jesus: 1. Encourage others. We should be so encouraging to others that we are nicknamed Barnabas because it means Son of Encouragement. Are you encouraging others, both in their need and also to press on toward spiritual maturity? 2. Are like-minded about the will of God and how to serve the Kingdom. There should be no division amongst us about God's desire for the Kingdom and how we will serve in it. 3. Have established, proven character and a history of good work for the Lord. You cannot be an example of Jesus as a baby Christian- you can start the process, but it's not until you've put the work in and established yourself as a servant that people will know your character and faith. 4. Are faithful like sons. This does not mean blindly taking orders, but it does mean respecting the faith of those who have served Jesus for longer than you have and showing them the respect that they deserve- it's why the Christian idea of 'Respecting your elders' came about - "Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men like brothers, older women as mothers, and with all respect, younger women as sisters." (1 Timothy 5:1-2) There's a reason why, with the rise in humanism and moral relativism, this idea has been thrown to the side in favor of 'Only respect those who show you respect first' and 'You don't owe your respect or allegiance to anyone.' 5. Develop close brotherhood relationships with other Believers. We see this relationship with Paul and the missionaries that worked beside him, especially when he worked alongside Barnabas; later, the relationships become more father/ son relationships. But we get an amazing look at this idea in 1 Samuel 18:1 "After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself." Other versions used the term 'soul-knit,' almost in the same terminology as it uses when a man and woman get married; they become one- Christian brotherhood is the same; we are not one physically and physiologically, but our souls become one together and it forms a bond that overcomes almost anything- it is very hard to break such a relationship. 6. Work and fight together for the Gospel work. This is pretty self-explanatory, but the implication is great. How can you work and fight together for the Gospel if you are never together? A huge part of why God established this model of church for us, not only so that we could worship together and build relationships, is so that we could come together and serve the Kingdom of God. Paul then goes on in his letters to express some of the characteristics that we should exhibit if we are going to model Jesus for others: In Colossians 3:12-13, 16, Paul tells Believers to "put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another, just as the Lord has forgiven you... And let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom." 1 Timothy 4:12 says "Set an example for the Believes in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." Titus 2:7 "Show yourselves in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity and dignity." 1 Peter 2:12 "Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so even if they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on that day." Jesus gives us the command in John 13:15 "For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you." The message of Christ, the message of life that we talked about last week, the one we need to hold firmly to, should be so evident in our lives that others can use us as a roadmap for how to become more like Jesus, as well. We do this, both for other Believers to follow our example, but also to demonstrate to the world who it is that we follow and have surrendered our lives to. This is a whole life surrender. When we really surrender to Christ and begin to live as a model and example of who He is, it becomes our entire lives. We no longer have that little piece that we retain control over; we don't get to keep one hand on the captain's wheel. Rather, we give up the captain's chair to God and we go and serve at His pleasure. It requires giving up your whole life, which can be more than some are willing to do; they want the grace without giving up control to the Master. The enemy, and our culture, is heavily invested in getting Christians to stop at this point- desiring the grace, but wanting to maintain control over their lives, as well, because the enemy knows that such Christians will never be effective for the Kingdom of God. And the last thing that the enemy wants is Believers who have surrendered their whole lives to Jesus and are effectively reaching others for the Kingdom. Truth #2: The Church must do a better job of honoring and exemplifying those Believers who give their whole lives to be examples for Jesus- to the point that it becomes the focus and desire of all Believers to strive for and excel at it. -Paul tells the church at Philippi to "Welcome Epaphroditus with all joy and hold those like him in honor." Who are the ones like him? Specifically, Epa nearly died in the service of Christ, so Paul could be talking about those who have given up their lives or lost health for the Kingdom. But I think we would do well to include those who surrender their lives completely for the work of Christ. The highest honor in the church, and then in our homes and eventually our culture, should be given to those who serve Jesus selflessly and give the rest of us an example of Jesus to model ourselves after. I'm reminded of the story of the 40 brave soldiers from Foxe's Book of Martyrs: "It was a very cold morning forty Christian men were marched out with hands behind their backs, to a frozen lake, where their faith would be put to the test for their final time. The roman soldiers untied their hands and gave them their instructions while stripping them naked. They then showed them a heated bathhouse that was near the edge of the lake, and told them, that at any time they could recant their faith, and save themselves by retreating to the heated bathhouse awaiting them. The roman soldiers proceeded to march these men of great faith out on the lake of frozen ice. There untied, and unbound, and with only their free will, they gathered themselves into a large circle, and while holding hands and naked and shaking, they began to sing Forty Brave Soldiers for Jesus! As the day went on the roman guard's sat at the edge of the lake in utter amazement at the bravery of these men, and one by one took turns re-warming themselves in the bathhouse, to return and hear these Christian men ever so sweetly singing sweet their song of Praise while perishing on the ice! Then as the night drew near, their song became quieter and quieter as they were freezing to death, Forty Brave Soldiers for Jesus! Then just at once, one of the guards with his torch noticed one of the men fleeing for the bathhouse. The men never stopped singing, but now began to sing Thirty-Nine Brave Soldiers for Jesus! Then with great conviction, this guard jumped to his feet and ripped off his clothes, and screamed you fool, then ran out and grabbed the freezing men's hands and started in their song but changed it back to Forty Brave Soldiers for Jesus! Now their song erupted into a higher volume of praise. But as the night grew onward, their song grew dimmer and dimmer as they one by one perished on the ice!" It can be a daunting task to look at Jesus and say, "I'll never measure up to Him!" But when we have others beside us, providing us with a picture of what this surrendered life is supposed to look like, and encouraging us by saying, "You can do this! Imitate me as I imitate Christ!" then that can make this life much more feasible. The church needs to honor those Believers who say, "I will be an example of Jesus for others to follow!" Invitation: Are you living your life to serve Christ today? Are you setting an example for others to follow?