Examples of Faithfulness

Text: Philippians 2:19-30

Thesis: Live and work in Christlike partnership with another.

Application: Partner with others for spiritual development, care and encouragement, and missional work.

Reading of the Word

Philippians 2:19-30

Intro

It’s Good to Be Back

Good morning everyone! It is so good to be back here at First Church this week. If you are new here, my name is Alex. I am a pastor here on staff and one of the elders. I’ve been on sabbatical over the last five weeks spending time in rest, prayer, and study. It was a refreshing time and much needed, and I’m excited to enter into this new year.

An Odd Interruption

As we turn our attention to Philippians 2:19-30, there is something odd that immediately catches my attention. See, Philippians is a letter, or an epistle if you want to be fancy. There are a few different types that the various letters in the Bible fall into, but overall, each letter follows the same general format.

The biblical letters are structured like personal essays. If you go back and remember your High School english classes, you’ll remember that essays have a main point, or thesis. The majority of the essay is essentially a developing argument attempting to convince the reader that its main point is true. Each letter in the New Testament functions in this way. There is a main point or issue being discussed with an argument developing throughout the whole letter.

This is why it is crucial we read the New Testament letters in their entirety as one cohesive train of thought. All of the books of the Bible were designed to be engaged with as one whole work, often in one sitting, but the letters especially require a holistic approach in order to understand their contexts and meanings.

Now for most of the biblical letters, the arguments are bookended by personal addresses. Statements like, “I and Timothy greet all of you,” or “Make sure to tell Archippus,” or “When you see Lydia,” etc. It can be easy for us to gloss over these sections and see them as unimportant, mostly because we don’t know these people. These people lived 2,000 years ago all the way on the other side of the world. While we know details about some of those mentioned, like Timothy, we know very little about many of the names in these sections. It can be easy for us to believe that these sections have little for us today because they were not meant for us, but that is far from the truth.

That sentiment is especially untrue regarding today’s passage about Timothy and Epaphroditus. You see, what is odd about today’s passage is that it is not a bookend. The personal statements about Timothy and Epaphroditus are not found in the beginning nor the end. These statements are smack dab in the middle of the letter, which means they are right in the middle of Paul’s argument. This means that there are one of two possibilities for today’s passage: Either Paul’s words about Timothy and Epaphroditus are a disconnected subject change, or Paul’s words about Timothy and Epaphroditus play a crucial part in the middle of his argument and serve as a critical hinge connecting his points together.

Guess which possibility I believe is true…

Paul’s Argument

Why is Paul writing to the Philippians?

If we are going to understand how Paul’s comments about Timothy and Epaphroditus play a key role in his argument, we need to know what his argument is! In order to do that, we need to go back to the beginning of the letter. If you have your Bibles open, turn to Philippians 1:3–7.

After his initial greeting, Paul has this to say:

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.”

I’d like to draw your attention to two words, participation in verse 5 and partakers in verse 7.

The word “participation” comes from a Greek word you may have heard of before: κοινωνία. This word is typically translated as fellowship, participation, communion, etc. This word is communicating a shared togetherness. There is no singleness or isolation with κοινωνία. By using this word, Paul is communicating a shared experience with the church in Philippi.

The word “partakers” in verse 7 comes from the Greek word συγκοινωνός which is often translated as partner or fellow participant.

Paul’s opening statement, setting the stage for his argument, is centered around the idea that the Christians in Philippi are partners with Paul in pursuing Christ and His mission. Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi is a partnership letter. He is writing to his partners to encourage and guide them as they all work together alongside Paul towards a common goal: that being to know and serve Christ. The theoretical question which Paul is answering is:

“How do Christians partner together to pursue Christ and His mission?”

Paul’s Main Point

The answer to that question is found in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful and profound pieces of writing which has ever been penned: Philippians 2:1-11

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed…”

How do Christians partner together to pursue Christ? We must be unified together in our imitation of Christ’s humility. That is the only way we can truly love one another and grow in our knowledge of one another and serve Christ together in a way which pleases Him.

Timothy and Epaphroditus as Living Examples

The Logical Flow

Chapter 1 of Philippians is all about the partnering relationship between Paul and the church in Philippi.

Chapter 2 is all about how that partnering relationship comes together, continues to grow, and even exists in the first place.

How do Christians partner together to pursue Christ and His mission?

Christians must come together with one mind set on imitating Christ’s humility.

The reason why Paul brings up Timothy and Epaphroditus is that he is putting them on display as living examples of what he has been talking about all up to this point. Everything you have been reading about and hearing about for the last four weeks here at First Church, all of the mentions of selfless love, humility, the mission of the gospel, etc., they can be found in Timothy and Epaphroditus. These were not random people to the Philippians, the church in Philippi knew these men. They saw these men live out Christlike humility, love, and service.

For Paul, bringing up Timothy and Epaphroditus is not changing the subject. This section is not a passage disconnected from the rest of the letter. Paul is providing clear, known examples of what it looks like to “be of the same mind… having the same attitude as Christ Jesus.”

The Relational Descriptions of Timothy and Epaphroditus

So what does Paul have to say about Timothy and Epaphroditus? Let’s revisit the text - Philippians 2:19–30:

“But I hope, in the Lord Jesus, to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven character, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I myself will also be coming shortly. But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need, because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him…”

Do you see the connecting language?

2:4 - “do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

2:20-21 - “For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.”

&

2:2 - “make my joy complete…”

2:28 - “Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly, so that when you see him again you may rejoice…”

Paul gives examples of Christlike characteristics in Timothy and Epaphroditus and joyfully expresses how good it is for Christians to come together in this way.

Look at the relational language Paul uses to describe Timothy and Epaphroditus. For Timothy, Paul describes him as a child serving his father. Paul views Timothy as a spiritual son! Likewise, Paul continues to use familial language in describing Epaphroditus. v. 25 refers to Epaphroditus as Paul’s brother in addition to being a co-worker and co-soldier.

Timothy and Epaphroditus are not pursuing Christ on their own. They are pursuing Christ alongside Paul and alongside the Philippians. The ways in which their Christlikeness is lived out is relationally. Too many people in our culture believe the lies of the enemy in thinking that their faith is purely an individual and personal faith. Timothy and Epaphroditus are shining examples of what it looks like to daily partner with other Christians as they pursue Christ. That example is lived out as being sons and brothers despite no blood relation.

This is what God desires for His Church! This is what Christ longs to see in His bride! May we no longer see our faith as individualistic. May we no longer view our spirituality as a personal journey. We must view our faith and salvation in light of the Church. It is the Church as one unified body, not as disconnected individuals, which Christ will carry into His Kingdom.

Examples for Today and a Call to Action

How Do You Relate to Others in the Church?

Partnering Together For the Advancement of the Gospel

Outro

Landing Point