Timothy and Epaphroditus

Intro

This is our third week in chapter 2 of the book of Philippians. This chapter is really three parts of a cohesive idea, and so today’s sermon will tie in tightly with the last two weeks. If you weren’t here the last two weeks, or if you’re like most people and can barely remember anything about last week in general, let me just give you a super brief reminder of where we’ve been over the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago, pastor Jerry preached on the first part of chapter 2, which set in front of us Jesus Christ as the ultimate example of humble service for one another. In that passage, we were reminded that Jesus willingly emptied himself and became a man so that he could redeem us from sin.

Last week, Pastor Jerry followed that up with a call to emulate Jesus by serving one another without grumbling or complaining. This was an important reminder that Jesus has called us to live according to the example that he has set for us.

This week, the passage we’re looking at together puts forward two living examples of Christ-like service to the church at Philippi.

So Having given them Jesus as the foundation and perfect example of humble service, he has called the Philippians to emulate that example, and he now seeks to send two living examples who will be able to live this out amongst them.

Both of these examples will reveal more fully to us the beauty of Jesus Christ. Through Timothy, we will see more about Christ’s genuine concern for his people. Through Epaphroditus, we will see more about Christ’s sacrificial service to his people. Through both of these men, we will see the importance of having truly Christ-like men and women in our churches to continually point us back to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Timothy’s Genuine Concern

State:

Philippians 2:19–24 “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.

But what does it look like to be genuinely concerned for you? Paul continues:

For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

To be genuinely concerned for the Philippians means not to seek to serve himself, but to serve Jesus Christ. Two important things in this:

Genuine concern for another person means that you are able to remove your own position from the equation. It means that you will seek the good of the other, even if it means personal cost to yourself.

This is a difficult thing to hear, and it’s quite convicting. It seems clear to me here that Paul is not speaking of unbelievers or false teachers, but of true minister in Christ’s church. These other ministers, while being true ministers, are caught up at least in part with a concern for themselves. As a result, they are failing to live as the kind of examples of Jesus that Timothy is.

And here we should take note of something important: to seek our own cause will inevitably hinder us from having a genuine concern for one another. This is something that continues to remain in the church, something that we must continue to grow out of.

But notice that Paul specifies who the concern is for: to be genuinely concerned for the Philippians requires that Timothy be genuinely serving Jesus Christ.

You might ask: which is it? Is Timothy genuinely concerned for the Philippians, or is he genuinely concerned for Jesus? Who is he giving his life to? And the answer to this is yes.

This is an incredibly important point for us to get right. This is where groups of Christians who want to separate themselves from the world go wrong. There is sometimes a false dichotomy presented to us: will you serve your neighbor, or will you serve God? Will you invest yourself into the community, or will you live as a recluse on a mountain as a monk?

Timothy shows one by the other. His love for the Philippians is only genuine because his love for Christ controls him. In the same way, he can only live for Christ if it means he is loving his neighbor well.

And so Paul and Timothy reject the dichotomy — to be genuinely concerned for the church can only happen if you’re sold out for Jesus, and to be sold out for Jesus means you will genuinely love the church.

Why? Because the Jesus you love so dearly was and is genuinely concerned for his church.

This Jesus is the one who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant. Could his concern for his church possibly be any more genuine?

Consider that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Consider how the great shepherd of the sheep isn’t merely a hired hand who doesn’t care about the sheep, but he protects the sheep with even his own life.

In Jesus we find a savior, shepherd, friend, who cared nothing for his own gain. He did not serve us with ulterior motives. He did not seek his own interests. He didn’t seek to swindle people so that he could become rich. No; in Jesus, we find the one who is genuinely concerned for us.

Brothers and Sisters, consider this: you have in heaven at the right hand of God a risen Lord who is genuinely concerned for you. He lives every day to make intercession for you. He loves you so deeply, he cares for you so genuinely.

That was the genuine concern that marked Timothy. Timothy was to be sent to Philippi so that he could be a living example of the genuine concern that Jesus has for his people.

And now, you are being called to do the same. Just as Jesus genuinely cares for you, so also you are being called to turn and genuinely care for you neighbor.

You will not do this seeking gain for yourself. There isn’t anything in this for you. It is not about what you stand to gain, but rather a giving out from a rich abundance given you by Jesus.

And so you give to the person you know will never be able to pay you back. You serve the person you know will never be able to give back an equal value to you. You sacrifice the time that you could have used to make a couple extra bucks so that you can take care of your brother or your sister. You give of yourself without any expectation of return, because that is exactly what Jesus Christ has done and is doing for you.

Timothy was an excellent living example of this, but in our text, Timothy wasn’t available to go just yet. In the meantime, Paul will send them another example and one of their own, Epaphroditus.

Epaphroditus’ Sacrificial Service

State:

Who is Epaphroditus?

Philippians 2:25–30 “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,

In this text we learn some important things about this man. We now that Paul calls him his brother: he belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. Beyond that, we learn that he is Pauls fellow worker: he labors in the work of ministry alongside Paul. We also learn that he is a fellow soldier: he is engaged in the same battle that Paul is engaged in. This man is redeemed, commissioned for the work of the gospel, and he is a fighter in this world for the Kingdom of God.

More specifically, we also learn that he was the specific messenger and minister to Paul’s need. Remember, the occasion for this letter was that when Paul was in prison, the Philippian church sent him a gift to help sustain him while he was locked up. Epaphroditus was the one who actually delivered that gift and was a part of the gift itself, as he was sent to minister to Paul while he was in a very difficult situation.

What is he like?

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.

Epaphroditus is the kind of guy who takes on the hardest job in the church, nearly dies in the line of duty, and then gets stressed out because of how it might negatively impact the church.

Do you have that friend that seems to profusely apologize for everything? I had a friend in high school and I swear you could punch him in the face for no reason and he would apologize to you for hurting your knuckles. I’m not saying Ep. was exactly that kind of person, but he was something like it.

The entire Philippian church is to be commended for offering support for Paul while he was in prison, but EP. went above and beyond in his part in the process. He had the difficult job of traveling probably hundreds of miles through difficult and dangerous terrain to assist a man stuck in prison. During his travels he apparently fell ill in a terrible way, and he nearly died in the process. Thankfully, as we keep reading, we hear,

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.”

Paul instructs the church to receive Epaphditus back with all joy, and to honor such men. This line makes me wonder whether Epaphroditus was well-liked in Philippi, or whether he was relatively forgotten about and held off to the side. In a church that struggled a bit with a selfishness problem, what was it like to be the guy that just wants to sacrifice himself for the good of the church?

And we might ask ourselves, how does someon like Epa. get like that? In a world where everyone seems to seek their own gain, how can someone willingly sacrifice themselves so readily?

The answer is the same as the case of Timothy: it is because Epa. had a robust and transformative relationship the a Savior who sacrificed everything to save him.

Once again, notice that Paul says, “he nearly died for the work of Christ.” It isn’t just that Epa. was naturally this kind of sacrifical: he was sold out for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was the gospel that drove this man to behave that way. It was the gospel that drove him to sacrifice himself. It was the gospel that caused him to lose sight of selfish gain and do whatever he had to do for the good of Jesus’ church.

And it makes sense when you think about the gospel of Jesus Christ, doesn’t it?

This Jesus is the one who humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross.

This Jesus is the one who condescended to meet our needs under no compulsion whatsoever.

This Jesus is the suffering servant who was willingly pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities.

This Jesus is the God of the universe who made himself the servant of all.

Epa. had an encounter with God — and he witnessed God serve him, even take on flesh and die for him. And then he witnessed that same blessed savior rise again from the dead on the third day, and send his Spirit upon him to breath new life into him.

When you experience that, sacrificial service seems to be the only appropriate lifestyle now. What sacrifice is too great? Who is too important to sacrifice for the church, if even our God was willing to sacrifice the loss of all things to accomplish our redemption?

My friends, have you encountered Jesus in this way? Have you come to know the God who sacrificially serves you?

If you have, then you understand why men like Epa. are the ones who need to be honored in the church today. It isn’t the ones who look clean and put together. It isn’t the ones who have a smooth tongue. It isn’t the ones who know their way around a social gathering.

Its the ones who really understand the sacrifice of JEsus and who love him above everything else, the ones who willingly offer themselves as a sacrifice in order to serve the church — those are the ones we are called to honor amongst ourselves. They might not be the most popular by worldly standards, but those are the ones who are emulating Jesus Christ to us, and so those are the ones we should honor and receive with joy.

And my friends, those are the ones we should seek to emulate ourselves.

I would like to make one finaly observation here, hoping to avoid any misunderstandings that could be taken from this.

C.S. Lewis once notes

Living a life of genuine concern and sacrificial service to one another is exhausting. If we seek to live this kind of a life without being filled up ourselves, we will burn out and end up worse than when we started.

Do not start your days simply by seeking how you can pour yourself out today. Start your days by drinking in Christ and being nourished by his love. Get lost in the vast ocean of Christ’s own love and service for you. Feast on him, and be filled by his fullness.

Then, and only then, do we turn to seek how we might emulate Christ by living lives of genuine concern and sacrificial service for one another, for the people whom Christ loves.