What Do You Do with Sickness (The story of the little-known Epaphroditus pt2)

The story of the little-known Epaphroditus pt2

GBCCR 6/29/24

Introduction

Catch- Jesus… what did I do to deserve this sickness… if you get me through this God I promise I will never do it again

This is a common mindset I hear from people

But scripture has many godly people getting very sick

Hezekiah is sick onto death even after he humbles himself (2 Kings 20:1-3)

The righteous centurion’s slave was near death (Luke 7:2)

Job was particularly pointed out by God to get sick (Job 1)

Righteous Lazarus died (John 11:1)

Timothy’s stomach had problems (1 Tim 5:23)

Trophimus was left sick by Paul (2 Timothy 4:20)

And all people die, then receive judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

Good godly people experience the effects of sin, including sickness

Review

We’ve been talking about who we praise… what do you congratulate people for?

Remember that Paul is telling them in v29 that they are to =honor men like little-known Epaphroditus

Though Epaphroditus is small in the world’s eyes, his name is written in God’s word to always be remembered

He is an example of humility

Now, Paul explains why he wanted to send Epaphroditus back

We'll see What is truly great is continued effort through the midst of pain

Praising men and God when sickness strikes

Praise the sick when they care for others (26)

Explanation

It seems a main reason to send him back was because Epaphroditus was concerned about them

(It may have been hard for Paul to send him when he had no one else besides Timothy)

To long for means, “I’d love to see”. It is the same word used in Phil 1:8 of Paul’s love and concern for the Philippians showing he and Epaphroditus had the same desires and concerns

And notice the Tense, he has been longing,= being a desire for an ongoing time

= being a desire for an ongoing time

And this Sickness is not just talking about a cold or common flu.

in v 27 paul says that he was sick “near death”…literally neighbors with dead

In Roman days they had very little way in the ability to handle disease, no understanding of viruses or bacteria

We can know he has been sick for a long time

Rome was over 800 miles from Philippi. Certainly several weeks, if not months, would be necessary to travel back and forth

So the news of his sickness went all the way to Philippi, then he heard of them being worried, and he was still sick

So the real surprise is why he is concerned almost overwhelmed with sorrow

Because the Philippians heard he was sick

(Let that sit in)…who is the person you care about most when you’re sick?-I lay on the couch and ask for Toast & butter because it makes ME feel better.

-I lay on the couch and ask for Toast & butter because it makes ME feel better.

But Epaphroditus’s concern is only for his family and friends back home.

He is the example of living like Jesus- considering others more important than himself in a time when most people only consider themselves

We get used to people recovering quickly, but they do not always… some take a long time, if they ever heal

Illustration point-

We Praise the strength of the sick in their care for others

This is not something the atheistic world view does

"Atheistic evolutionist Sir Arthur Keith acknowledged of Hitler:

"The German Führer ... is an evolutionist; he has consciously sought to make the practice of Germany conform to the theory of evolution.""

Atheism, with its evolutionary rationale, says "love' is nothing more than self-interest in increasing the chances of our genes surviving in our offspring or our close relatives.

Hitler's death camps grew out of his desire for the ‘Aryan race' to win the battle for 'the preservation of favored races. "

Christians have long been at the forefront of helping the sick but also praising the weak

One of the best ways you can battle an atheistic culture is to praise the good sick people can do

Application

I know some of you are not healthy physically

Whether it is the common cold, an unknown disease, or cancer… sickness strikes at our strength

But others of you are also facing what Ecclesiastes calls the evil age

Ecclesiastes 12:1–7- Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; …. before the silver cord is snapped, ….. and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Sickness and health declining are a reminder to us of that final enemy Death that approaches us all

However, the same God that talks about the dark days also tells us

2 Corinthians 12:9–10- But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul's use of the term decay in II Corinthians 4 graphically sums it up in one word. …We usually think of decay as something that occurs after death, but Paul- ever the realist spells it out for what it is: he declares that the outer person is already decaying!"

You may not be able to do what you once did or your health may not allow you to do what you want

The challenge is to avoid the woe is me

Instead, humility is found in getting your eyes of yourself

even in considering more about how your sickness effects others and praying for them

Counselor Jay Adams writes, “"How does one remain vital in his latter years? …he should stay current. If he loses all interest in what is happening around him, he will soon become outdated.'

He should be aware of what is going on in the world and in the church. He should pray regularly about coming events at his church and for missionaries on the field. He should attend church faithfully (not just when he feels like it) and participate in every activity that he is physically able to.

Sickness and declining health makes you weak, but not unable to care for others brothers and sisters

And to those of you who are young and healthy

But do not just praise them, Do you emulate them?

I love how little kids will look at your arms and say.. what is that spot there?

Children.. you too one day will have spots all of your arms… what a privilege you have to learn from those around you

The health Can respond to their kindness by going on and on about yourself,

or you can answer their request and return with a question about them.

Trans: That is not me, that’s not what I do even when I’m tired.

I think Epaphroditus knew what the bible teaches about suffering & sickness and what god is doing in it

Praise God when He cares for the sick (27)

His care is a Kindness towards those who suffer

Explanation

He was almost dead, but God had mercy

Mercy= an attribute of God where God shows favor on those who are in misery or distress

*It is what God does to relieve that suffering

& so the gospels speak often of Jesus granting mercy to those who were sick and the sick call out for Jesus to have mercy upon them.

Yet even a righteous, others focused, person can not just expect or demand healing

We Praise God in sickness because it is an opportunity from Him to give unmerited mercy

We miss this when we have the wrong view about sickness

Pastors like TD Jakes have statements that say:

We believe that it is God’s will to heal and deliver His people today as He did in the days of the first Apostles. It is by the stripes of Jesus that we are healed, delivered and made whole. We have authority over sickness, disease, demons, curses, and every circumstance in life.”

Do you see sickness as an opportunity to Praise God

Sickness is an opportunity to see God’s kindness

Application

When you get sick, it has the tendency to smash some idols.. some false God we believe in

The biblical prophets present disease as a parable for humanity’s greatest malady—sin

Do you prize your independence and strength… sickness robs that from you and reminds you that you’re dependent upon God and others

The idol of prosperity says I can spend enough money and get the best products, I’ll be healthy… but sickness reminds us there is no God but Jesus

After Covid19 hit China, I read One Wuhan pastor similarly reflected, “It is readily apparent that we are facing a test of our faith.” He reminds believers that “Christ has already given us his peace, but his peace is not to remove us from disaster and death, but rather to have peace in the midst of disaster and death, because Christ has already overcome these things.”

Will you respond the same way?

Trans: To do so, we need a

A Biblical Theology of Sickness & Suffering (where it came from and where it will go)

Explanation

It begins, in the beginning.

Genesis 1:31- God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Creation: (Gen 1:31)- It was very good

God created the world without sickness or disease or death.

So did God create bacteria and viruses? Yes and they were good

Science hats on for a minute as I point out some truths learned from Answers in genesis

Bacteria has not positive functions like heling your gut break down food so bacteria that cause disease (which developed as a result of the Fall) are the exceptions, not the rule

Even disease-causing viruses are descended from viruses that were once not harmful

some creationists have proposed that God “designed animals to be able to undergo genetic mutations which would enable them to adapt to a wide range of environmental challenges while minimizing risk

It is thought that viruses would transfer a adapation from one animal to another, such as spreading the gene that gives polar bears that white fur

such as spreading the gene that gives polar bears that white fur

Fall (Gen 3)

Adam and Eve disobeyed the one command God gave them. Every other tree was available and was satisfying (v9), but Eve was deceived and wanted to be like God (v5-6), and so the promise of death was given and they were cut off from the tree of life

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12, ESV)

Romans 8 explains this affected all of creation

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope” (Romans 8:20)

Thus evil that happens in the natural world

Evil that happens in your own bodies is due to that initial sin

Like lead climbers, scaling the face of a mountain, all attached together, when our first parents and leaders of the world fell, their ropes pulled everyone down with them.

Pastor Brian Croft in Visit the sick:

“sickness, disease, pain, suffering, affliction and death are undeniable evidences of the fall of man. Form this point in the storyline of the bible, the desperate need for redemption begins. It is quickly revealed in the narrative that only a sovereign, eternal God can intervene to save creation from this curse. The hope of the gospel, which includes the promise of physical resurrection, there now begins to unfold in a glorious work of redemption that culminates in Jesus’ death and resurrection.”

Trans: the story continues with

Life of Israel (Ex 15:26)

Exodus 15:26- And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”

Israel was in Egypt in exile, and God sent plague and disease to force the Egyptians to free them

=God was still in control of disease

But he warns Israel that if they disobey, the same diseases would come upon them

*God controls this evil to protect and correct his people and punish sin

Isaiah 45:6–7- That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.

Evil originates not from God but from the fallen creature

Yet, your sickness is not tied to your particular sin, but instead back to the first sin of Adam and Eve.

So all sickness is because of universal sin, but yes, some sickness is because of your individual sin

Whether it comes as the result of sinful choices or because you respond to trials in the wrong manner

Psalm 32:2–3 “Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.”

Like the man who was angry at his boss and fearful of losing his job,

instead of working through his anger, his blood pressure skyrockets so when he goes to the doctor, the alarms go off on that little machine and they instantly want him on medication….

His sinful response lead to it.

Trans: God does bring the plagues upon his people and then does restore them as he promised, all to lead us up to that promised one.

The life of Christ (John 9:1-7)

Jesus Christ, the God-man is born into this sinful, fallen world with all its disease, suffering, and death.

No clear passage saying Jesus got sick,

but if he was a full man, and could die like a man,

he could get sick like a man too

But Jesus came as the son of God (mark 1:1), and to show his authority over even fallen creation he healed

Ie: the paralytic man

Mark 2:9–12- Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

But John 9 shows us a different side of sickness

People wrongly assumed that it was due to sin that this weakness existed in this man, but no

v3- It was to show God’s work

*Therefore, disease and suffering also exists to show God’s power over it, and also through it!

Trans: but that resurrection isn’t here yet, so now we have

Life of the church (1 Peter 4:19 & James 5:14)

We still see some dying for their sins (Ananias and Saphria in Acts 3)

& because some were taking the Lord’s supper in a sinful way

1 Corinthians 11:30- That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

But in this era we read James telling Christians who are sick to ask the elders to pray for them (James 5:14)

also Jesus had said in Matthew 25- When I was sick, you visited me…

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25:40, ESV)

Thus believers are commanded to care for one another in their suffering

You Christian, must be that helping hand as we await the final stage…

The New Creation (Revelation 21:4)

We await the return of Christ where he does not come as a lowly man in the midst of a sinful world,

but a conquering hero of the sinful world

1 cor 15:26- “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

All of this vanity will be done with, we will be with Christ and the world will be made into paradise again.

Revelation 21:4- and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:1–2- Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

One day we will have the tree of life again and thus will no longer be plagued by sickness

And so John says, Come Lord Jesus (22:18)

This is the purpose of sin and death now, to make us long for that future

Brian Croft again:

“In the midst of the sickness or affliction that someone in our church may be experiencing, we have the glorious privilege of pointing to a greater, divine and more significant reality than that person’s physical circumstances. We can point to sickness and affliction as results of the fall and to our dying bodies as reminders of our birth in sin. We can remind others that sickness was a mean for God to discipline his chosen people that caused them to long for a Redeemer. We can rejoice that the signs of God’s kingdom coming were the healings and restorations by the authority of the Son of God- a foretaste of what we ill experience in full when Jesus returns and resurrection becomes reality.” (28)

Having a biblical theology in necessary for us to endure sickness

It’s like a stressful part of story

Whether you are reading a book or watching a movie

The scene is dark, the heroes may not make it

But you glance at how many pages you have to go, or you look down at your watch

And you sigh… oh there is plenty of time for the heroes to make it out and turn this around

And isn’t the truth the same when we face the weight of sickness and health problems

A biblical theology of sickness tells us there is plenty of time for God to work this out, even when it takes a while

Application

A Key question: Do you encourage others this way and do you see your sickness this way?

You must build a proper way of thinking about suffering so you are prepared for whatever life will come

We are blessed to live in a time with tons of medications and well studied homeopathic remedies that allow us to feel very healthy and recover from many ailments

But beware any thought that thinks I deserve to feel healthy or if I do the right things… just find the right practice or medication and I will be healthy and feel great.

The reality is that real health will not exist until we once again have that tree of a life that heals all nations

Any promise of perfect health here and now is a lie

So do not look down on those who are constantly getting sick…

you might have a good suggestion for better health (Paul did with Timothy),

but this side of eternity there is no complete remedy

So, you must also weep with those who weep.

We are not home yet, and the sickness and even death should remind you of that.

I think that is why Epaphroditus was able to consider others during his near death experience

So praise those who suffer well!!

Trans: but why was it a mercy for Epaphroditus to live? Paul has said its better to die, so why did he live?

His Kindness is towards those who care

Explanation

Remember, God’s mercy is relieving suffering. And since we are all sinners, we deserve none of it

And since we are all sinners, we deserve none of it before God… the wages (or what we should be paid) is only death

God could have allowed Epaphroditus to die, the pain would have stopped, and mercy would have been given.For a

For a Christian, it is a mercy to die & be with Christ

John Calvin- what were better for us than that we should remove hence to the kingdom of God, delivered from the many miseries of this world, and more especially, rescued from that bondage of sin….

However, God did not just show mercy to Epaph, Paul too needed that kindness

Sorrow upon sorrow gives image of continual wave after wave of pain.

There might be moments where it dies, but then comes another one

Sometimes those who hurt the most are not the ones in pain, they are not the ones who die

They are us who watch and remain.

Remember that when you see Paul’s command to rejoice, this is not a simple empty joy, but in the midst of a painful world

If Epaphroditus would have died, Paul would have entrusted in the sovereign God, just as he did with the thorn in the flesh, but that doesn’t mean it was painful.

God gives kindness to those who care when he heals

Transition to Illustration

Charles Spurgeon rightly said

I venture to say that the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness. Sickness has frequently been of more use to the saints of God than health has.

And yet, when a friend is near death, as we gather in a hospital praying for them to come out alive, how can you help but rejoice and thank God for his mercy when they walk out?

Application

Praise these people who watch their loved ones suffer

But remember if you are watching someone suffer or if you’ve lost someone…

it is ok to feel sorrow, it is ok with feel crushed

Have sorrow with hope, God is doing great things

And pray for healing, but remember the wise words of the writer jerry bridges

To say I have faith that God will heal is presumptuous since we do not know the mind of God, but to say God is able to heal is to exercise faith.

Therefore Since we have seen (Cohesion)-

Let us see sickness as the enemy it is, an invader that came with sin

but also see that God is giving us great opportunities to praise people and Him when it strikes

We know we must (Resolution)-

Sickness is a reminder that we still needs God’s grace

This is seen greatly in life Horatio Spafford, famous writer of It is well with my soul.

19th century businessman

Helped churches and evangelists like DL Moody with is wealth

The giant fire of 1871 burnt much of Chicago & his many properties

& his many properties

So, instead of complaining what does he do?

Go help moody do evangelism in Europe

But last minute dealings means he stays behind while

Wife and 4 daughters leave, boat crashes

12 minutes after the crash, the 4 daughters are dead

He goes to join wife and as his over the spot it sank he wrote this:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows

roll—Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well with my soul.

Closing prayer

Lord, God… we pray for healing and health, but Lord, more we pray that you may be the master of sickness and weakness

Remind us of your strength in our weakness and show us how we can be made more like Jesus through it all.