Philippians 2:17-30
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:10-18
Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:10-18
This is Antoinette Tuff
She lived in Atlanta Georgia…
Where she worked as a Bookkeeper…
For Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy—
An elementary school east of Atlanta
Antoinette had a tough life
As a child, she suffered homelessness…
And abandonment by her parents
In 2012, she found out that her husband…
Whom she’d been in a relationship with for 33 years…
Was having an affair with another woman
He would go on to divorce her not long after…
Leaving her to financially struggle…
As a single mom of their disabled son
This caused her to fall into a deep depression…
That then led to her attempting to end her own life
Thankfully, she would fail…
But it wouldn’t be her last attempt
Just a year later, on August 18th of 2013…
She again attempted to take her own life
But again, thankfully, she failed
2 days later, on Tuesday, August 20th of 2013…
Things just continued to get worse
Because of the busyness of the beginning of the school year…
The principal asked her to take over in the front office…
To help do some secretarial duties
While at her desk…
She received a phone-call from the bank…
Telling her that she had 7 days…
To pay back $14,000 of debt she had accrued…
Which she had no idea…
How she would be able to pay back
She was probably thinking:
“How could my life get any worse?”
She didn’t realize that her life…
That had been filled with depression, stress, & fear…
Was about to change forever
As a parent was leaving the building…
They held the door open for a 20 year-old, named Michael Hill…
Who was carrying an AK-47 & over 500 rounds of ammunition
As he walked into the office…
He told Antoinette Tuff:
This is not a joke! I need you to understand this is not a joke. I am here. This is real. We are all going to die today.
Michael struggled with a host of mental illnesses…
And had recently been off his medication
This led to him borrowing a friend’s AK-47…
And entering a school with the sole intent…
Of taking life & having his life taken
Instead of cowering in fear or fleeing the office—
(Which Antoinette had multiple opportunities to do)…
She realized that the only option she had…
To save the most amount of people…
Was to stay & try to talk the gunman down
She wanted to save the 870 children that were in that building
But saving them wasn’t her only goal
She wanted to save the gunman too
She would go on to speak to this broken man…
With empathy, compassion, & understanding
Telling him about her own struggles:
Divorce
Disabled Son
Financial Struggles
Attempted Suicides
And about 25 minutes later…
She had talked him into surrendering…
And allowing himself to be arrested
This would go on to be the ONLY active school shooter situation…
In the US that has ever ended without the death or injury…
Of a single person
Antoinette immediately become a national hero
When asked by CNN:
“How were you able to stay calm and show so much empathy for the gunman?”
She responded:
The only way I knew to address it was: “God, do you see what I see? God, what do I do?” Every word that I speak is life and death, not just for me but for 870 innocent children. And the gunman.
So I saw this 20-year-old man standing in front of me. He was the same age as my kids. I saw a young man crying out for help. At that moment he was not crying silently. He was crying out loud. I didn’t see the bullets on his back or the AK-47. All I could see was this youth in front of me.
We were pain meeting pain. That gunman passed several schools to get to my school. He parked his car right next to my car. God allowed me to get a phone call from the bank so it held me up at my desk to be at the front office at the right time at the right moment.
When we show that compassion, it just works.
That’s what we have gotten away from as a society and as a community.
She believed that compassion was the answer…
And she was right
God uses us all to accomplish His work. We just never know when that moment is coming, or what that situation will be.
God gives us a purpose, and God prepares us for that purpose.
All the pain I felt, all the tears I cried, all the moments I felt worthless—that was all preparation for my assignment from God!
Antoinette would go on to write a book about her life, titled:
“Prepared for a Purpose”
Lifetime would also go on to make a movie…
About her school shooter encounter, titled:
“Faith Under Fire”
Antoinette Tuff, though suffering numerous hardships of her own…
Chose to selflessly surrender her own safety & life…
In order to save the lives of others
And because her faith in Jesus led her to show…
Compassion & love…
Everyone, including the suicidal gunman…
Lived to see another day
Philippians 2:17-30
Philippians 2:17-30
For the past several weeks…
We’ve been studying in the shadow of Paul’s command in:
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Today, we’re going to bring this section of Paul’s letter to a close
In today’s text, Paul is going to show us…
More examples of humility & selfless service
At first glance, this text seems to be much more personal—
(dealing with Paul’s & his companions’ travel plans)…
But there’s actually much more going on here
Paul isn’t just laying out travel plans…
He’s showing the Philippians & us…
Living illustrations of everything we’ve been looking at…
Over the past several weeks
17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with all of you. 18 And in the same way also you rejoice and rejoice with me.
Paul is using OT imagery here to describe his possible execution
(He used this same “pouring out” language in his letter to Timothy)
Under the Old Covenant system…
And even in Greco-Roman religions…
Wine would be poured out at the sacrificial altar
It was to accompany a burnt offering
As we’ve seen already in this letter…
And as we’ll see further down in our text…
Paul doesn’t expect to be executed in prison…
But he does leave open the possibility
Paul would love to be freed from prison…
And be able to visit & encourage (& be encouraged by)…
The Philippians again
But if that isn’t possible…
He will still rejoice
And he wants the Philippians to rejoice as well
His death will be like a drink offering…
To accompany the Philippians’ sacrifice & service to him & God
Their faith in Jesus had led to them…
Sending physical, financial, & emotional aid to Paul…
While he is in prison
Paul referred to these acts of compassion & faith as:
Priestly sacrifices & service
To Paul, faith that works itself out by doing good works for others…
Is the New Covenant equivalent:
To offering a burnt sacrifice to God
To doing priestly service in God’s temple
To Paul, faithfully serving others & doing good works…
Is worship & a glory to God!
And Paul giving his life for the Gospel’s sake…
Is worship & a glory to God!
So, even if Paul dies…
Rejoicing ought to be done by all…
Because God is being worshipped & glorified
19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I also may be encouraged when I know your circumstances. 20 For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely be concerned about your circumstances. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, that like a child with a father he served with me for the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see my circumstances. 24 And I am convinced in the Lord that I myself will arrive shortly also.
After Paul finds out what is going to happen to him—
(Presumably release or execution)…
He’s going to send Timothy to Philippi…
So that he can return with news of how they are doing
He would love to receive some good news about them:
That they are united in love, mind, & purpose
That they are humbly loving & serving one another
That they are keeping the faith amidst their persecution
Timothy is Paul’s #1 guy
He’s the only one Paul would want to send to the Philippians
Why?
1st, because these people know Timothy well
He was with Paul when he established the Philippian church
They knew what kind of man he was
As Paul said:
22 But you know his proven character, that like a child with a father he served with me for the gospel.
Paul praises Timothy by saying that…
He has no one like-minded (“of equal soul”) like Timothy
There’s no one else like him
Timothy, like Paul, had a genuine love/care for the Philippians
He truly cared for their physical & spiritual well-being
Timothy was an example of someone who:
In humility of mind…
Considered others as more important than himself
Cared for the personal interests/needs of others
People like that are hard to come by
Or as Paul put it:
21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
25 But for now I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother, coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to me in my need.26 Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard that he had been ill. 27 In fact he became so ill that he nearly died. But God showed mercy to him—and not to him only, but also to me—so that I would not have grief on top of grief. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you can rejoice and I can be free from anxiety. 29 So welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.
We learn here that the Philippians had sent aid to Paul…
Through a man named Epaphroditus—
(Possibly came from a family that worshiped Aphrodite)
This text, along with Phil. 4:10…
Tell us that the Philippians were unable…
To financially support Paul for a period of time
In Greco-Roman prison…
The state did not provide essentials to prisoners
That was the duty of friends & family
So Paul had to rely on others to provide for his needs
The Philippian Christians were an extremely generous people…
But, for whatever reason, they lacked the opportunity to help
But then Epaphroditus stepped up to the plate
This would be a great relief to Paul
The only problem was:
Epaphroditus became terribly ill
So sick that he was on the brink of death
But God, in His mercy, caused him to get better…
Which was a great mercy to both Epaphroditus & Paul
Epaphroditus was spared his life
And Paul was spared from experiencing anymore sorrow/grief
Paul is now sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi
Epaphroditus knew they had been worried about him…
So he wanted to return home
Paul wants to make sure that they fully understand the situation…
And give Epaphroditus the respectful welcome he deserves
He calls Epaphroditus his:
Brother
Co-worker
Fellow soldier
He risked his life to make sure Paul received the aid he needed
Even while deathly ill, he pushed forward to meet Paul’s needs
He put others’ needs above his own
He considered others as more important than himself
And those who risk their lives & suffer for the sake of others…
And for the sake of the Gospel…
Are worthy of great respect & honor
Application
Application
As we leave this chapter of humble & selfless service behind…
Paul gives us 3 reflections of Jesus:
1st, we see Paul rejoicing despite the possibility of death
2nd, we see Timothy genuinely caring for others
3rd, we see Epaphroditus risking his life in service to others
At the root of each of these examples…
Is a humble spirit that puts others before oneself
We saw that same spirit in Antoinette Tuff
Her circumstance was an extraordinary one
Hopefully, none of us will ever experience a situation like that
But we will all have opportunities…
Whether big or small…
Whether loud or quiet…
Whether complex or simple…
To humbly put others ahead of ourselves
There will always be opportunities:
To encourage that person whose struggling or seems down
To show compassion to that person…
Who could really use a little less judgment & a lot more mercy
To give genuine attention to that person whom everyone else ignores
And who knows?
Maybe God has prepared you for that very purpose?
Maybe your pain, suffering, & struggles were for a grander purpose
Maybe your blessings are for a grander purpose
Maybe God wants to use you for something good…
If you’ll only surrender to His will:
Like Paul, rejoice, even in your sorrow…
And stop the complaining & arguing
Like Timothy, seek the interests of others…
And not just your own
Like Epaphroditus, be a little risky
Risk your comfort by reaching out to someone who is struggling
Risk your schedule by slowing down long enough to listen to the lonely
Risk your reputation by showing compassion to the one that others judge or avoid
Risk your life for the sake of others…
Whatever that might look like
Imagine what would happen…
In this church,
In your home,
In your workplace,
In your friendships,
If everyone of us were determined…
To have the same mindset as Jesus
To go to the radical extreme of humbly putting others first
If 25 minutes of love, compassion, & selflessness from one person…
Can save 870+ people…
Then how much good could be done…
If everyone of us chose to live by such principles everyday?
I can tell you this:
This world would be a much better place…
And God’s kingdom would flourish
