Examples

Intro:

Who in your Christian walk has been someone that you’ve looked to as an example? Have you had a mentor or friend that has had a impact on your life?

I’ve been blessed with many people in my life who have poured into me and been that example of what it looks like to live out your faith. One example that I wanted to share with you this morning was from my time at First Southern Baptist Church of Lawrence, KS. While I was in high school my dad pastored this church and we had just moved from one part of town to the west part of town as we had out grown the space we were in. One of the benefits of this new church campus was that we had a fellowship hall space that also doubled as a gym.

Every Tuesday night a group of older guys in our church would gather to play basketball and some of us younger guys connected to the church and our friends would play. Now some of those guys were former players in High School and even college and they could play. One guy was a fire fighter and he was like a brick wall. It was great competition for us younger guys and there was a genuine bond that grew between the guys that played together.

One of the things I really appreciated about that group is that they knew that some of the friends I would bring were lost. We would pause about halfway through and one of those guys would do a devotional or share their testimony and then we would pray and get back to playing. What I learned over the years was that these guys would then go beyond just our time together on Tuesday’s and really get to know us. It wasn’t uncommon for guys to show up at HS basketball games to cheer on some of the guys who played on the HS teams and some of them even ended up hiring some of the guys to work for them as one guy managed convenient stores and was a head umpire.

Looking back what I admire most about that group of men was that they were simply living out their faith in front of us young guys. It was a formal class or program but just guys genuinely living out their faith and coming along side us younger guys and pouring into us…I would say even when we didn’t even realize it.

Today we are going to look at two examples that Paul gives us of guys who are simply living in obedience to God’s calling on their lives.

Scripture:

Philippians 2:19–30 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. 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.

Transition:

As we close out Chapter 2 of Philippians we see Paul flip to a travelogue that mentions two cherished partners in the gospel Timothy and Epaphroditus. At first glance it seems like this is one of those sections in the bible that you just want to skip past to get to some of the more familiar verses in Chapter 3 & 4. However, Paul uses this section to give real-life examples of individuals living out their faith for the sake of the Gospel that the Philippian Church would be intimately familiar with. So let’s look at a couple of things we can learn from this text.

1. Examples to Follow

This first section is the obvious one. Paul mentions these two individuals because they are excellent examples that he can point to for the Philippian Church and for any reader that would later study the book of Philippians.

So let’s take a quick look at these two guys and see what stands out about them.

The two examples Paul gives us are Timothy and Epaphroditus. He starts by sharing about Timothy in verses 19-24 and then shares about Epaphroditus, who we are probably less familiar with, in verses 25-30.

Here are some key characteristics about Timothy that Paul mentions. Right off the bat we see in v. 19 that Paul has urgency to send Timothy to the Philippian Church. In many ways Paul wanting to send his protege Timothy shows how much he loves and cares for the church and how much he values Timothy, which apparently the Philippian Church did as well.

One of the key things we learn about Timothy in this text is that his compassion for the ministry exceeds that of others in Rome that Paul is surrounded by. At this point Luke and Aristarchus are no longer with Paul in Rome (we know this from Colossians 4:10 & 14 and Philemon 24.

We know that Paul has mentioned that others in Rome seek “their own interests” Philippians 2:21, so the assumption is that Timothy stands out as someone who serves in genuine love and care for others. Commentators also suggest that this is one method that Paul is using to prepare the Philippian Church to listen to Timothy as he ministers to them, knowing there is division in the church it will be important for the members to remember that Timothy has a genuine love for them and wants their well being. Timothy will look to serve Christ first and thus will seek unity in the body of Christ.

Tony Merida gives a great example from history to exemplify this same kind of compassionate leadership of Timothy:

“Throughout the years, the church has had many shining examples of selfless, Christ-exalting service. For instance, historians tell us that in AD 252 a plague hit Carthage, and people were leaving the city because of the threat of contamination, losing everything. The Christian leader Cyprian drew all the other Christians together in the middle of the town—in a town that persecuted Christians and blamed them for the problems—and said, “Fan out through this town to give to all according to their need.” And they would not abandon the city in the midst of the plague. The Christians earned a reputation for showing charity to all people, regardless of status or background.”

Another characteristic is Timothy’s companionship. in verse 22 Paul uses a father-son relationship as a comparison for his relationship with Timothy. We know that there was a special bond between these two as Paul heavily invested in young Timothy. The result was a trusted partner in the gospel who was devoted to Paul and more importantly a dedicated co-laborer who sought to put Christ above his own desires. Timothy exemplified that sacrificial love that we read about in the Christ Hymn…that is he loved as Jesus did. The fact that Paul was willing to send Timothy speaks to the trust & confidence he had in him and the fact he was willing to serve the church at Philippi because he was giving up his right hand man.

The second individual we see Paul speak of is Epaphroditus. This is the only book in the bible were we see him mentioned. We don’t know much about him except he was sent as a delegate or messenger from the church. This week I’ll be out of the office Tuesday as I will represent our church at the SBTC Annual Convention in Houston. In a similar fashion I will represent our church at these meetings as a delegate.

His name is an interesting one in that it sounds familiar to us because it is derived from the greek goddess “Aphrodite”. It was a common greek name meaning “charming” or “handsome”. We see him mentioned here and later in Philippians 4:18 “I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

From this context we see that he was a leader within the church of Philippi, but all we can really gather is that he was a church member & leader that was worthy to be trusted as a messenger to Paul. There seems to be an indication that the original plan was for him to deliver this gift from the church to Paul and then join him in ministry in Rome, but that plan is derailed due to his sickness that almost costs him his life. The church in Philippi must have gotten word of his illness because Paul mentions their concern and that by getting him well and sending him back to Phillipi will be encouraging to them as they value him greatly.

So what makes Epaphroditus a great example to follow? For one he was most likely a Gentile convert based on his greek name. It’s very likely his family worshipped this goddess. His testimony is a life transformed by an encounter with Jesus that changes his trajectory from worshipping false gods to willing to risk his life for the sake of the gospel.

One commentator suggested it’s possible that Epaphroditus might have been a retired Roman soldier, since many received land in Philippi upon retiring and that he most likely would have grown up somewhere that had a temple for Aphrodite which Philippi did not. Paul does use the image of soldier when he references Epaphroditus, which was common for him in his writing, but perhaps it was because of his past. It would have been a grueling 700 mile journey from Philippi to Rome so someone with that kind of background would make a lot of sense. Regardless he was a dedicated church member who sought to follow God, willing to risk physical harm and even death for the sake of the gospel advancement.

Paul uses the term brother, coworker, fellow soldier, and messenger and minister to describe him. The term brother reminds us that ultimately the bond between Paul and Epaphroditus is through Christ. Our faith in Christ unites us as brothers and sisters with other followers of Christ. It’s also true that you use the term brother affectionately for someone you go through life with. There were experiences in laboring for the gospel that earned the title brother.

The term coworker is important as Paul was the apostle and Epaphroditus was just a regular church member. Titles were not important to Paul. All are equal in ministry. I once heard someone say titles are just for clarity in ministry and I love that. We are all in this together. When he mentions him as fellow soldier it builds on this idea. They are in battle together for the sake of the gospel. It’s also a powerful reminder of the danger they endured as they spread the gospel as Epaphroditus got so ill it almost cost him his life.

The final term Paul used is important to us today as well as he calls him a messenger or minister. All in the church are called to be messengers of Christ and minister. Minister is not a position but an act and Paul reminds us this when he mentions Epaphroditus as a minister, not in a job title but as an act.

One aspect that Paul brings out about him is that he was distressed that the Philippian church was concerned about him. Remember he was close to death because of his illness yet he was more worried about the church. I believe Paul uses his example because Epaphroditus is being Christlike in his circumstances because he is more concerned about others than himself.

So Paul uses Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples because ultimately they are reflecting the humble servant leader we see Paul mention in the Christ Hymn. They are worthy to be followed as examples, because they are following the example of Christ. May that be said of us as well.

2. Honoring Faithful Servants & Send Your Best

Paul makes sure to convey to the church in Philippi that they are these two are worthy to be honored. Now don’t confuse this with worship. They aren’t to be put on a pedestal and made to be greater than others, rather they are to be honored because they sacrificed for the sake of Christ.

“As we read through the text, we should seek to imitate such servants. We should seek to honor such servants (2:29). We should seek to send such servants or go like these servants. Regarding imitation, we should say, “Imitate them, as they follow after the example that is in Jesus” (2:5–11; cf. 3:17). Regarding honor, we’re reminded of the need to show appreciation and respect for those that build up Christ’s church. Regarding going and sending, we see the need to send our best and to be ready and available to go serve others ourselves.”

-Tony Merida and Francis Chan, Exalting Jesus in Philippians,

This is something I believe we need to do better at in American Christianity today. We tend to idolize people and want to elevate them based on wordly standards, success, fame, money…instead of what scripture teaches us such as service and sacrifice to the Lord.

“This command to honor Epaphroditus is so refreshing. In Paul’s day, and in our day, it’s usually the famous, the talented, and the powerful who are praised. But here’s a simple messenger who took a gift to Paul in humble service and sacrifice, and Paul says to honor him. “

-Tony Merida and Francis Chan, Exalting Jesus in Philippians,

Of course our ultimate honor goes to Christ, but we should also honor those who serve him faithfully often in obscurity. I want to introduce you to two friends of mine doing just that. Here is a picture of my friends Ross and Ricky who are serving as IMB missionaries in Wales.

Before serving there they were in Izhevks, Russia. You want to talk about being remote. It was a couple hundred miles east of Moscow and pretty isolated. Instead of idolizing mega church pastors or speakers these are the types of individuals that Paul would want the American church to honor. We are about to kick off the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and that is one as Southern Baptist we really nailed. What a great person, Lottie Moon, to honor who gave up all for the sake of the gospel.

Another key element I want to make sure we don’t miss here is that Paul & the Philippian church are ready to send out their best.

JD Greear who is the pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh, NC has one of the best sending cultures in the SBC. They regularly send out the most missionaries and church planters. Here is what he said about this bittersweet feeling of sending out your best:

“I call this “bittersweet,” because we always feel a little torn as we send out our people. We’re sending out some of our most effective evangelists, key volunteers, and close friends. They’ll all be missed. In some ways, saying goodbye to these friends is a loss for our church. But we also celebrate this “loss,” because that’s how the kingdom of God grows. God’s kingdom doesn’t go forward as we protectively hoard, but when we open our hands and give God our best. Growth in the kingdom of God works on the principle of the harvest: we reap only as we send out; living comes by dying; gaining comes by losing.”

God’s timing is always so perfect. Some of you have probably already heard the news that Justin Horsley as accepted a position on staff at the Cowboy Church And he gave me permission to share his news with our church family. Man if I can be honest this is a hard one for our church. Early on when I got here I learned that Justin had a call to ministry on his life and that his desire was to follow God when he opened a door for ministry in his life. That doesn’t mean that it’s easy. Man we are going to miss this sweet family that has been so vital to our church the past few years. We are thankful for them, and are sad to have them go, but we also trust that God has something bigger in store and we trust that we are sending out our best for the sake of the gospel.

Closing:

So today’s passage was admittedly a little different. The encouragement and challenge we find in these verses is that it’s all for the sake of the gospel and Christ is worthy of it all.

We want to be like the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus in that they were seeking to follow the example of Christ in humble service.

A powerful reminder we have in this text is that God is sovereign in his mission. Paul’s imprisonment, Epaphroditus’ illness, Timothy’s youth, none of these things stopped the work of the gospel. God was in complete control of all of it, using imperfect people to carry out the great task of spreading the gospel & establishing the church.

I wonder who here might need to surrender to what God has called them to do. I’m so thankful to the Horsley’s and their obedience and trust in God to lead them in this new adventure. We know that God is in control and trust God will use them in a mighty way. We will have two great opportunities to love on this family. Today is the baby shower and we get to love on them and help get them ready for the arrival of their sweet baby girl. We also have the great honor of working towards ordination for Justin as he follows God’s leading into the gospel ministry. We will share more info about this as we get details together.

Today as we conclude we should ask ourselves do we have people in our lives that we can look to as examples to follow as Christians living out their faith boldly. Perhaps you could be that example and become a mentor to someone else. Think back to the example of the men that gathered to simply play basketball in my opening.

For those who have never trusted Jesus as their Savior, this passage shows us that he’s worthy. He’s worhty of it all. Because Jesus loved us sacraficially we respond by living sacrifically for him. If you’ve never placed your faith in Him I urge you today to trust him as your Saviour and make him Lord of your life following him wherever he might lead.

Finally as a church we need to honor those who serve and be willing to send out our best. My heart is that we would be a church known for sending people out to serve him. Trusting that God is sovereign and though it hurts we know that it’s worth it for the sake of the gospel.

Let’s pray together as we close out…..