The Gospel Changes How We Serve

Bible Passage: Philippians 2:19–30

At first glance this passage seems a little lack luster and maybe even out of place. After all it seems to be little more than a travel itinerary.

But what Paul is doing here is connecting his teaching of how the gospel changes how we live together to the real life examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus.

So today we are going to look at these two men’s example of what it looks like to serve.

I. The Gospel applied gives us a servant's perspective

Philippians 2:19–20 CSB

19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests;

At First glance is seems as if Paul is being rather harsh in his description of the other believers that are around him.

But I Don’t think that is his intention. I think rather he is speaking of the reality of life. I think it is the modern day equivalent to asking people to serve and finding the answer to be, I would like to help but I am just to busy.

Since Paul recognizes the seriousness of the need to send someone to the Philippian church to encourage and to report any issues to Paul, he isn’t going to send a person that is consumed with the everyday affairs of thier life.

Remember Paul is giving the Philippians a lesson in what it looks like to have the mind of Christ. t.

It seems then that thier a connection to Christlikeness and one’ s outlook on life.

Paul isn’t making the statement the people around him are just wicked and terrible but instead they are very just very distracted by life and this distraction is keeping them from living the life God had designed for them.

One thing that we can all agree on is just how busy life is.

We go from day to day scurrying around. The days come and the days go. As I am going through life, I am realizing that the business never ends.

If that is the case, then when will i be free enough to serve Christ.

Modern Christians tend to make busyness their religion.

J. I. Packer

What if I told you that your biggest barrier to serving Christ is not your schedule but your mindset?

Isn’t that what Paul told us in Chapter 1. Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

So the busyness will never end that’s a given we will fill our time doing something. The question isn't weather your busy but rather what are you busy doing?

Timothy it seems was one of the few people that Paul knew of that genuinely would set aside his own daily affairs travel to Philippi and serve with little thought of his own affairs.

So then the Gospel when allowed to do its work will create in the individual an uncommon mindset. A mindset that says I am willing to set aside my current lifestyle for the cause of Christ and trust God with my time.

Did you know that there are two ways we are supposed to trust God with our time.

1. is in resting...taking a sabbath.

2. Is in our service.

I keep this Jar in my office to remind me to trust God in these two areas. The rice represents my time and the nails represent work I need to accomplish. When I put spending my time on what I think I need to do the work that God is asking me to accomplish never seems fully to fit in. But when I put his work first and then orient my life around this. It amazing how my life works. Busyness will always be there no matter what. But when I choose to trust God with my time God creates in me character.

II. The Gospel Applied produces faithful service through life circumstances resulting in proven character.

Philippians 2:22 CSB

22 But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father.

Proven Character -The term refers to character that has been tested and validated through experience.

Paul connected endurance or faithfulness to proven character but then also made one more connection. He stated that proven character produces hope in the individual.

Romans 5:4 CSB

4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.

So then how does proven character produce hope?

When you consistently put Christ and his work at the center of your life despite circumstances, your faith is being tested. When your faith is tested and you continue to serve regardless your faith is proven to be valid. Not to God but to your self.

Sermons from John Piper (1990–1999) The Love of God Has Been Poured out within Our Hearts

proven character brings about hope.” If your faith perseveres and shows that it is toughened steel and not melting lead, then you have more hope. Why? Because you see and you feel that you are real. Your faith is not fake.

One of the problems, I think, many Christians suffer from is a constant feeling of inauthenticity. Many feel like they are putting on a show especially when the come to church.

Works do not bring about salvation. However to those who are in Christ is does serve to help verify the work of God in you.

Again our faith is not I serve therefore I am saved, but I am saved therefore I serve. As I serve and my character is proven over time It produces in us a proven confidence in the Lord.

This confidence gives us a greater hope. It increases our ability to trust God’s promises and what God says about us.

Then this proven character is visible but also valuable to others.

As they watch what God has done in your life they know that Both God and you are trustworthy. This will increase your opportunity to have a greater impact on those around you not through authority but through faithful service over time. In other words servant leadership.

But this type of servant leadership as Paul has already mentioned in the first chapter is best defined by christ sacrifice.

III. Gospel service requires sacrificial commitment.

Philippians 2:25–28 CSB

25 But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus—my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need— 26 since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick. 27 Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 For this reason, I am very eager to send him so that you may rejoice again when you see him and I may be less anxious.

Philippians 2:29–30 CSB

29 Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor, 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.

Look again how Paul describes this man. Brother,co worker, and soldier.

You cannot be a soldier in the kingdom of heaven without being willing to sacrifice your life and your health.

It is this reason why Paul uses this word soldier to describe Epaphroditus.

What we value is revealed by what we are willing to sacrifice for.

So if we cannot find the time to do Kingdom work what does it say about what we truly value.

Sacrifice is a result of value....what does what you are sacrificing for now reveal about what your heart values?

Paul doesn’t give us a lot of detail into his illness but what he does make clear is that his suffering and almost death was a result of his service for Christ.

Look how selfless this guy was. He almost dies and he is worried about how upsetting his illness would be to those back in Philippi . So he nearly dies and he doesn’t desire to go back home to rest up but to reassure the church thier that he is okay.

This a living example of

Philippians 2:5–8 CSB

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

Philippians 2:9 CSB

9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,

So now Paul is following this same pattern. Epaphroditus was a willing servent unto death and now Paul is telling the believers at Philippi to also honor him.

IV. Honor those who faithfully sacrifice.

Philippians 2:29–30 CSB

29 Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor, 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.

When I was was a kid, I used to hear the stories of both current missionaries and missionaries of the past that inspired me to want to sacrifice for God’s mission.

These stories were ultimately about the faithfulness of God honoring the small imperfect faith of individuals who chose to sacrificially live by faith.

So when scripture gives us this example of holding in honor it isn’t going up to Epaphroditus and telling him how great he is. No that would just life him up in pride but rather revere the example of What God has done in Him and through him.

Let me ask you this question, do your kids have any heroes of the faith?

One thing that is fun about watching children is that you can usually see what they are watching and reading by who they are pretending to be. For some young boys it’s spiderman other the hulk, Luke Skywalker or some other heroes.

It’s always fun to watch these children imitate those they see as heroes. The truth is that Heroes inspire children. The great acts of selflessness that results in rescuing people from the bad guys even at the expense of thier own pain is inspiring.

But how many of our children from Christian homes can name a single heroes of the faith?

Dad would it make a difference if you talked more about those who have given thier lives for the gospel than the man that can throw a football really well or a shoot a basketball through a hoop or hit a homerun.

Who you revere is who your children will revere. Who they revere they imitate.

We have the greatest stories of men and women giving thier all, that are being slowly lost to time Missionaries that through the power of Christ went to places no one else would go. Suffered unbelievably yet they persevered for the sake of rescuing men and women from the power of darkness.

If you honor the memory of those gospel pioneers, those faithful servants. If we put these before our children's’ eyes. Who do you think they will be inspired by? Who do you think they will revere and want to be like?

I can say personally that the missions stories that I heard growing up had a great impact on me.

I think one of the things that is missing in our christian life is honoring those who spent thier lives truly sacrificing for the Kingdom.

This next generation needs to hear about those heroes of the faith that were not perfect men and women but faithful men and women. Who put Christ and the Gospel at center of thier lives.

One resource is a book series Christian Heroes: then and Now is book series. That you can read to your children. not only will it create a new type of heroes in your children’s minds. It may just create it in you as well.

I think Paul new what he was doing when he told the church that they should recieve Epaphroditus with honor. So that this story oh his endurance through the strength of God would continue.

The Gospel changes how we serve and what we value.