Finding Joy in Serving Sacrificially

Sermon Title: Finding Joy in Serving Sacrificially

Sermon Text: Philippians 2:17-30

Early this week I was listening to a song on the Christian radio WGTS and the name of the song was called “Nobody” performed by Casting Crowns and featuring Matthew West. (Show slide 1-2) The lyrics go something like this…

“Cause I’m just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

Ever since you rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

I’m living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

I’m living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

As I was listening to the lyrics of this song, I was thinking of a sister in Christ that I met at MFuge Camp this year. (Show slide 3 & 4) Her name is Altonya and she has a very positive perspective in life. Altonya has great love for the Lord and she genuinely cares for her neighborhood. She, though limited in mobility, wants to help the widows and families on her street who need assistance. During camp we were able to work in her neighborhood and clean up people’s backyards. Altonya was the one who organized the projects with the Camp Staff and she placed the interested of others above hers. Altonya, though she lives in poverty and in a difficult part of downtown Philadelphia, she is filled with joy. She doesn’t find the joy in her external circumstances but the relationship she has with the Lord Jesus. As Christians our true source of joy is Christ and He is the one that we need to show to the world. She greatly rejoiced when she learned that we were there to help in her neighborhood and she thanked the Lord for sending us to serve her community that week. Altonya is a shining star, a bright light in her community. Paul in the letter to the Philippians challenged the believers to be a light in the world. They had slipped up and there were division, grumbling and complaining in their midst. Paul said do “all things” (not some things or what you like) without grumbling or disputing.” (Phil. 2:14) Why? Because the world is constantly looking at us. As Christians we are called to shine our lights, be blameless, be above reproach and thus proving to be children of God. (Phil. 2:15-16). You know, the world and the government has forgotten the people in Altonya’s neighborhood, but the Lord and His people including Altonya are bringing hope and joy in their lives.

Today we will continue our study of the letter to the Philippians and look at the second part of chapter 2. Our focus will be in finding joy in serving sacrificially.

The song lyrics that I read earlier state this: “I am living for the world to see, nobody but Jesus”. As a church, are we pointing people to Jesus? Are you living your life that reflects Jesus’ attitude and humility? Paul called the Philippian believers and us today to work out our Salvation in obedience till the day Christ returns. One of those ways is to serve sacrificially.

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul turns his attention again to this concept of “joy” and uses three examples to encourage the believers at Philippi: that of himself (Paul), Timothy and Epaphroditus. We will look at each one as we learn about how these three godly examples lead us to finding joy in serving sacrificially. First, we see Paul’s example. (Show slides 5-6) Beginning in verse 17, Paul describe his joy at being able to serve the Lord and his people and appealingly he used this O.T. picture in reference to his life: “being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of youth faith”. Paul sees his life as a “drink offering” to the Lord. This refers to the Old Testament ritual of pouring a drink offering in worship (Numbers 15:1-10; 28:1-8). In Numbers 28:7, the Lord gives instructions to Moses on how the sacrifice was to be presented. 7 “Then the drink offering with it shall be a fourth of a hin for each lamb, in the holy place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the Lord.” This was to be an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord. After the priest would sacrifice an animal to the Lord (such as lamb, ram or bull), he would then pour wine on the sacrifice on the altar as an offering to the Lord. This symbolized the dedication of a person in worship to God.” (GotQuestions.com)

The apostle Paul is one of my favorite characters in the Bible, not only because He spread the Gospel to the known world at the time but because he was a man of courage and he was not a quitter. From his conversion, his life was completely dedicated to the Lord till the very end. Paul gives us a BIG picture of how he suffered for the Lord in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. Turn with me there and feel free to highlight, or make a list of some of the sufferings he endured for Christ. In summary, Paul worked hard; faced imprisonment; beaten many times; often facing death; beaten 39 lashes by the Jews; beaten with rods; stoned; shipwrecked; trapped at sea; faced all types of dangers; was hungry & thirsty; facing hardships and hard labor; suffering from the elements of nature; and also the daily pressures of concern for all the churches (don’t forget this last one as is just as important). I am sure that Paul will have one of the highest positions of honor in heaven when we get there. I see what the apostle Paul went through and what he accomplished and in comparison I feel like a nobody. What have I done for the Lord? This man is the godly example that we need to look at as we are serving sacrificially, not the prosperity gospel preachers, nor those who focus on selfish motives and pursuing after wealth. Look to people who are serving sacrificially! Paul said this about his accomplishments and hardships, I will not boast on myself but I will boast in the Lord! In Philippians, we clearly see Paul’s life being poured out as an act of worship. He has been in prison for 2 years and yet he rejoiced that his life had been poured out in service to God. In verse 17, he urges them not to worry about him, but says “I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18 You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.” For Paul it was a privilege to give his life for their sake. Paul saw his life and his death (execution) as a “drink offering”. He saw his execution not as loss, but a joyful service that he willingly and sacrificially offered on behalf of all the people that had come to Christ through his ministry. Would you have the same perspective in life as it relates to serving sacrificially? Paul’s joy was rooted in his relationship with the Lord Jesus and the Christian believers in all the churches. Are you serving the Lord joyfully or has it become a chore in your daily life? Is your life being poured out as a “drink offering”? At the end of his life, Paul would write this message to Timothy his protégé: 6“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:6-7).

Let’s look at the second godly example that Paul mentions next (Show Slide 7). Timothy, was a bond-servant of Christ Jesus along with Paul (1:1). In other texts, we find out that Paul refers to Timothy as our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ (1 Thess. 3:2). In 1 Timothy 1:2, Paul writes this to Timothy: “my true child in the faith”. Paul had a very heightened view of Timothy’s character. He and Paul established many churches on their missionary journeys and Timothy was faithful to Paul as an coworker. Timothy like Paul, devoted his life to the gospel ministry till the very end of his life. As a missionary, he served the Lord faithfully and as a young Pastor he led the church at Ephesus during Paul’s last years in his life (1 & 2 Timothy). Timothy and Paul had a very close relationship in the Lord. Paul not only saw Timothy as his protégé but also as a spiritual son. He was a young man of great reputation! In 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul refers to him as “my beloved and faithful child in the Lord.” The godly character of Timothy is shown in verses 20-23, where Paul tells the church that Timothy truly cares for them. He is faithful, committed, devoted to the ministry of the Gospel and he has served Paul faithfully. He has shown obedience “like a child serving his father” (v.22). Paul presents this beautiful image of a son taking on His father’s business. He has a proven record and genuinely cares for their welfare and the things of Christ, just like Paul did (v. 20-22). Timothy is not like the ones who were preaching the gospel from envy and strife, which he had mentioned earlier in chapter 1:15-17. He is not selfish in his motives for serving the Lord. His intentions are pure and he is the best person to represent Paul, as he visits the church at Philippi. Paul was planning on sending Timothy to minister to the church in the near future (v. 19). The purpose was two-fold: For Timothy to strengthen and encourage the church but also for him to return to Paul and encourage Him on what was happening in the church. Paul wanted to hear good news as a result of his visit. Such timing of Timothy’s visit would be dependent upon Paul’s decision of his trial in Rome (2:23). Paul and Timothy truly cared for the interests of the Philippian believers. According to Wikipedia, “The apocryphal Acts of Timothy states that in the year 97 AD, the 80-year-old bishop tried to halt a procession in honor of the goddess Diana by preaching the Gospel. The angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.”

As we look at Timothy’s example, are you truly concerned for the welfare of our brothers and sisters here at PBC? What about those who are in like-minded Bible believing churches? This brings us to the last example mentioned in the letter.

The example of Epaphroditus (A pa phroditus) (Show slide 8). His name actually means “agreeable or handsome” (Google search) so young parents if you are thinking of naming your next son, be my guest, here is one option!

Let me provide context regarding this leader of the church. The church in Philippi kept in close touch with Paul for years but when Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and sent to Rome, their communications abruptly ended. They didn’t know what had happened to Paul. Once finding out that he was imprisoned in Rome (Acts 28:30), they sent their church leader (pastor) Epaphroditus to bring words of love , encouragement, sympathy, and a financial gift (Phil. 4:15). Epaphroditus would spend some time with Paul during his imprisonment. He not only ministered to him while in prison but also worked on raising more funds that were needed for the gospel ministry. While doing this he becomes very ill to the point of death (v.27). The church had supported Paul faithfully and so one of the reasons he wrote the letter was to thank them. Epaphroditus, by God’s mercy was healed at that time and once he fully recovered, Paul gave the letter to him to deliver and read it to the entire church at Philippi. In verses 25-30, Paul describes him as such: “my brother”; “fellow worker”; “fellow soldier”; “your messenger”; “a minister”. Paul gives him these five titles to show that he too was a godly man and faithful to the gospel. He was a fellow believer in Christ, and as such he faithfully served Christ and Paul during his time of need. As a soldier dedicates his service to his country, Epaphroditus “a spiritual fellow soldier” had dedicated his service to Christ and His church. Paul uses this analogy of “fellow soldier” to point out the commitment and faithfulness of such individual.

He also was a messenger because he would deliver Paul’s message to his people back home at Philippi. He became an emissary of the church. The church at Philippi was concerned about their pastor’s health and condition when they found out. This goes to show that you can serve God faithfully on the mission field and that doesn’t mean that you are immune to hardships and disease. My American mom Lola, was on the mission field for years in Papua New Guinea and she got ill with all sorts of diseases. The world we live in is fallen and sick. Serving God doesn’t mean that God will bless us with great health & wealth as some preachers preach from the pulpit. God does not promise miraculous healings to everyone. On occasion he will allow these hardships because He has a plan, though we may never know what it is. Epaphroditus nearly died, and being sick for a long time he missed the people back home. Epaphroditus was worried and concerned about his illness and how that would affect the people in his church. Back in the day, in the 1st century A.D., the word traveled very slow. We are blessed today with our technology and getting updates right away on our phones and news media channels. It wasn’t so for the Philippian church. Their pastor wasn’t sure if they had gotten the updated report on the prayer list. God had shown mercy to both Epaphroditus and Paul as well regarding his near-death experience.

Upon recovery, Paul sends him back so the believers can have a reason to rejoice and celebrate his safe return. Last but not least he was also, “a minister to my need” Paul writes. He served Paul during his house arrest and worked hard to meet Paul’s need. We are not sure what Paul’s need was, it could have been financial, physical or spiritual, but regardless Epaphroditus stuck with Paul till the end and ministered faithfully to him and worked hard in spreading the gospel message while in Rome. Paul tells the readers of his letter to “rejoice” and “receive” him in the Lord with all “joy” (v.29). In verse 30, Paul concludes by saying that Epaphroditus came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me. Epaphroditus was fully committed to Jesus and served sacrificially by making the journey to Rome and ministering to Paul for a time period risking his own life. He could have said “No”, I will send a deacon instead or a member of the church, but instead as the leader and pastor of his church he rose to the calling to serve Paul and Christ in Rome. He represented the entire church in doing so and thus the church was to honor him for his sacrificial service towards others and the Lord. I liked what someone wrote regrading this idea: “Many claim to serve Christ, yet few can claim they have nearly died in order to serve the Lord.” I can’t say that yet… Can you? We need to thank the Lord and celebrate when those who put their lives in danger for the sake of the gospel return home safely. This will be a blessing and great encouragement to the church body to see how God is working through the hardships.

A main practical lesson we can learn from this passage. We need to hold men and women who are serving God faithfully in high regard. Just like Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus, we need to encourage and honor our brothers and sisters in Christ who have the mind of Christ and putting their lives in danger for the work of Christ. All who serve God with humility and sacrifice should be honored by all believers, especially those who have risked their lives for the Gospel. There are many workers, military members and missionaries who are serving in the front lines of ministry today! Are we honoring those who are leaving home and putting their lives on the line for the Gospel? Are we honoring those who are serving sacrificially? If not, we should just as Paul urges us to do as a church family!

I want to take this next few minutes to give the church an update on what we did at Mission Fuge but also recognize those that sacrificed a whole week to serve the Lord in the city of Philadelphia. (Show slides 9-29 slowly on cue)

After slides, thank the church for their faithfulness in supporting the youth and adults that went to camp through prayer and financial support.

Close in Prayer: Lord thank you for work that you are doing in your church. Allow us to put on your humility and attitude as we serve not just people in our church but community at large. Allow us to honor and celebrate those who are serving you sacrificially and putting their lives in danger for your work. In your name we pray, Amen.

Sermon Study Resources:

Gromacki, G. Robert. New Testament Survey: Philippians

Hale, Thomas. The Applied New Testament Commentary: Philippians

Richards, O. Lawrence. Bible Teacher’s Commentary: Philippians

McGee, J. Vernon. Thru The Bible Radio Network: Philippians: “The Earthly Walk of a Heavenly People.”

Lightner, P. Robert. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Philippians