Relevant Message

I usually do not publish sermons in this space unless they are relevant to the journey of grief in which I am immersed. Some of you have asked about the sermons - you can access them online, if you interested, at http://www.graceccnc.org/ You will only find the Sunday morning audio version there, though. At any rate, I am going to do something I have not done before - publish this sermon before I preach it, albeit, the delivery is less than two hours away, Lord willing! If you find these thoughts a bit light and wanting more, go back and listen to the other four sermons on Philippians 2 and you will find a bit more meat. I preach the text as I find it, thus I never know exactly what is coming, heavy or light.

I have been thinking about the many faces of grief and intend to share those thoughts here in the coming days. Grief can be so confounding confusing (that's not redundant, just emphatic!)!!! That is why it is taking me so long to get to it. In the meantime, for those who have a few minutes:

Sterling Examples of Humble Servants
Philippians 2:19-30

Partnership in the Gospel. That’s the theme of the book of Philippians. For several weeks, we have been reading and learning about the importance of unity in the church, which enhances the effectiveness of the gospel message that we share with the world. We have been reminded that humility is required of individuals before unity can exist in the group. That is true of any group – it is just that there is so much at stake in the church. That is one of the reasons it is so important for us to love one another deeply and get along with one another, even when it means subjugating our own ideas and desires for the sake of church unity.

In the middle of all this discussion about humility and unity, the Apostle Paul gave the example of Jesus as the ultimate model for humility. While Jesus is, indeed, the best example imaginable for humility, we may be tempted to say, “Well, I’m not Jesus, even though I want to be more like Him. No mere human can be as humble as this passage commands.” Interesting that you would say that. Here at the end of Philippians 2 and the end of Paul’s focus on humility – for the moment, at least – the apostle gives two sterling examples of humble servants – Timothy and Epaphroditus. Perhaps that is why several of you have named your sons Epaphroditus!

I almost gave this message another title in order to put the focus on the body of Christ and how much we need one another. It would have been legitimate, but I think it would have been driven more out of personal experience than examination of our present text. I have been so blessed by the circle of friends that have defended the silver lining of my dark days, as the great theologian John Mayer would say. There is no doubt that Timothy and Epaphroditus were true servants in the body, but Paul had a very specific reason for mentioning them here. I know you may wonder, sometimes, what the benefit of such personal digression is in various writings of Scripture, but I think you will see how great an example of humility we are given in these two servants of the Lord. Would you please stand as we read God’s Word together? We will be reading Philippians 2:19-30.

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you.
20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me,
24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
25 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,
26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.
27 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.
28 I am more eager to send him therefore, that you may rejoice in seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.
29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,
30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

We make a lot of excuses for not following God’s plan for our lives. “After all, I’m just human. That’s just the way I was made.” Indeed, this Christian life is not an easy charge! It comforts us to know that others struggle just like we do. If we are not careful, though, we will assume that no one can ever live anything close to the way God has commanded us to in His Word. But, every now and then we see someone who comes closer than we have seen in a long time, or maybe someone who is more like Jesus than anyone we have ever known. We are skeptical, of course, and say, “Just give him a little time. He will show his true colors soon enough!” And, it’s not that your new friend is perfect, but he or she has a walk that begins to make you think that maybe it is possible to live a spirit-filled life of humility, grace, and power. Paul gives us a few examples in our text. The first example is Timothy. Look again at verses 19-24:

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you.
20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me,
24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

Paul had planned to send Timothy to Philippi. This would have been well received in Philippi because the people knew him well, as Paul reminded them in verse 22. When Lydia became the first European convert, Timothy was on the scene. There is no doubt that there was a genuine affection between Timothy and the Philippian Church and since he was so very close to Paul they would have loved to have seen him. The reason Paul wanted to send Timothy was that he was more selfless and giving than anyone Paul knew. Paul’s desire to send such a one to Philippi speaks not only of his admiration for Timothy, but it also speaks of his love for the Philippians.

Verses 20 and 21 are quite a testament to Timothy’s heart and service for the Lord. I don’t think Paul was employing hyperbole here when he said that there was no one in the entire area like Timothy. Why? Because everyone else was bound to the natural way of things, but Timothy lived a supernatural life. It is natural to look out for oneself. In fact, that is our default position – looking out for number 1. Timothy, on the other hand, exhibited exquisite care for others. If it were not true, Paul could not have said it and retained his credibility. The Philippians knew Timothy, and I am sure when the letter was read to the church, many heads shook in affirmation and “amen’s” were heard all over the room.

Paul and Timothy had a special relationship. It was, as Paul said, a father and son connection. Sinclair Ferguson muses that this was far more than a formal relationship, it was instinctive. Timothy was beside Paul through many of his most difficult days and he was with Paul during the days when God’s glory shone on earth in fruitful ministry. It was, of course, more than a spiritual relationship, but it was, first and foremost, a spiritual kinship that these two servants of the Lord shared – they served in the gospel.

May I ask you if there is someone in your life who is like a spiritual father or mother to you? For those of you who are more mature in the faith, is there someone who is like a spiritual son or daughter to you? Do you think such a relationship would be beneficial to you? The only way we could possibly say no is out of arrogance or apathy.

You see what Paul was doing, don’t you? He was saying, “Remember I told you about Jesus and how He cared so much for us that he did not do what was convenient and pleasant for Himself, but rather, He gave Himself wholly for us. You may be tempted think it is impossible to live like that. Have you considered Timothy?” Timothy was so important to Paul that he refused to send his spiritual son to Philippi. Even though Paul expected to be released from prison, he wanted Timothy there for the verdict. After that, Paul said, you may see Timothy and I may get to come your way, also. Since Paul needed to send someone to Philippi, he chose someone else, and what a replacement – it was Epaphroditus!

We are told in chapter 4 of Philippians that it was Epaphroditus who had brought the financial gift from Philippi to Paul. Paul now sends his friend back home with a report from Rome. When word got out that Paul had written a letter to the church, I imagine the believers gathered in eager anticipation to hear from their friend. I doubt that Epaphroditus read the letter to them, but I imagine he was in the audience when it was read. As we read verses 25-20, I want you to think about how embarrassed Epaphroditus probably was when he heard what Paul had written. I want you to think about something else – something we often say, “Oh, don’t let so and so hear you bragging on her or she will get the big head.” As noble as that sounds, Paul must have not been aware of that particular spiritual nugget. Notice how he brags on Epaphroditus, knowing that he would hear the praise while the letter was being read to the congregation!

25 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,
26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.
27 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. (SLIDE 8)
28 I am more eager to send him therefore, that you may rejoice in seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.
29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,
30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

High words of commendation. Epaphroditus was, in Paul’s estimation, a man worthy of honor. Look at how Paul describes his friend. He begins by calling Epaphroditus his brother. This was not mere lip service, but a spiritual bond that united Paul and Epaphroditus together as family in the same way that Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son. He was also a fellow worker. Epaphroditus was not on vacation in Rome – he worked hard! He was also a fellow soldier, giving priority to kingdom matters. He was willing to engage in spiritual warfare with a relentless enemy. Paul concludes his initial assessment of Epaphroditus by saying that he was a representative of the Philippian Church and a minister to the Apostle. The Philippians could be proud of their missionary. I wonder if any of us went on a mission trip whether or not a similar report would come back about our ministry endeavor?

One of the things that made Epaphroditus’ service to Paul so extraordinary was that he was likely physically weak when he ministered to Paul. On the journey to bring the financial gift to Paul, Epaphroditus had fallen ill along the way. No doubt, there was a contingent of church workers with him. Someone in the group probably went ahead to Rome to tell Paul that his friend was sick and that the illness was serious. Word had gotten back to Philippi, also, and that distressed Epaphroditus because he knew that the congregation in Philippi would worry about him.

Should we worry about our brothers and sisters who are sick? Well, you are permitted to be concerned about your brothers and sisters’ physical condition unless you are more spiritual than the Apostle Paul! You get the sense that Paul was greatly disturbed with the news that his good friend was near death. If Epaphroditus had died, would God have been loving and merciful? Absolutely! But, Paul expressed his gratitude to the Lord for His mercy in sparing Epaphroditus. How would Paul have responded had his friend gone to be with the Lord? He would have had sorrow upon sorrow. I get that. That is a very good description of the emotions one experiences when losing a loved one – layers of sorrow. It is not unspiritual to grieve. People do not die because they or others do not have enough faith for them to be healed. Of course God heals some people! In fact, in our day of modern medicine we may think little of Epaphroditus’ recovery, but not many people came back from death’s door in the first century like Paul’s friend had. Paul realized how close to death his friend had been – and he knew the grief he would have endured if he had died. But now after a short recovery, Paul was sending him back to Philippi. He was sending him back as an example of the humility and selfless service to which Paul had called the entire church.

So, Paul said, receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor. Your friend almost died because of his service to me. In verse 30, it is almost certain that Paul was not criticizing the Philippians for a lack of care, but rather he was saying that Epaphroditus had served him in their absence. In saying so, Paul was reminding the Philippians of their partnership in the gospel with him. Oh, how we need each other! We are the body of Christ known as Grace Community Church. We partner with one another and with our missionaries all over the world to bring the gospel message to those who do not know Jesus! It is a crucial work and we must serve in unity if the gospel message we preach is to be effective in our community. Of course, group unity and gospel witness begin with each one of us. Not only do we have the example of Jesus before us, but also the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus who cared more about Jesus and others than they cared about themselves.

As we bring our time together in the Word to a close, I want to point your attention to a brief passage in an excellent book that I have told you about before: A Passion for God – Prayers and Meditations on the Book of Romans, by Ray Ortlund, Jr. Please write down the title of this book. I would love it if every one of you went home and ordered it from Amazon or Christianbook.com. It is a great devotional if you want to use it as such. Ortlund did his own personal translation of the book of Romans – well, actually, it is a paraphrase, but it is a well-informed paraphrase since he used the Greek text as his starting point. The format of the book is to write a paraphrase for a passage, which may be one verse or 15 verses, and then offer a prayer in response to the Scripture. There is also usually a section with some instruction from another Christian, almost always someone who ministered in another era.

The section on Romans 1:11-15 is so closely tied to what we have been covering from Philippians 1:27 through the end of the second chapter that I wanted to share it with you here. Again, I also hope to whet your appetite for this jewel of a book. Ortlund’s paraphrase goes like this

“For I long to come visit you, so that I may strengthen you with some gift of spiritual benefit, as your needs may require. I mean, of course, a mutual exchange of blessing, since you will contribute to my faith as well. Please do not get the wrong impression, dear friends. My absence from Rome is not due to indifference toward you. I have often planned to come – so far, every attempt frustrated! – so that I may reap a spiritual harvest among you, just as I aim to do among all the Gentiles. I have a responsibility to bring the gospel to everyone everywhere, both to the civilized and to the uncivilized, to the sophisticated and to the simple. It is this sense of responsibility, not mere ambition, that explains my urgency to come minister the gospel to you in Rome.”

Now, for the prayer of response:

“O Lord, how trivial are my aspirations and desires. I pursue the amusements and toys and carnality of the modern world, while the higher longings of my soul weaken from neglect. What do I need to remove from my life, in order to throw myself without reserve or impediment into the great cause of the gospel? This is my brief moment in history. I do not have forever. Now is my time to speak to my generation. Purify my heart, Lord. Energize my desires. Open my eyes. Compel me with my personal responsibility to serve the interests of the gospel in the world today. O Lord, let me spend my life for you, disregarding all risks, accepting all consequences. Let the power of the gospel so grip me that I act upon it, come what may. Let me recover the power to live and to die for my faith. In the holy name of Christ. Amen.”

Finally, this brief poem by the 20th century Presbyterian theologian, Francis Schaeffer:

To eat, to breathe
to beget
Is this all there is
Chance configuration of atom against atom
of god against god
I cannot believe it.
Come, Triune God Who lives,
Here am I
Shake the world again.

I will leave these powerful words on the screen while you respond to the Lord’s calling to your heart this morning.